October 31

The car deck of the Havana-Key West ferry City of Havana on its last trip, 1960

1890 – Francisco de Bagner, the Spanish consul at Key West, left the island for Havana after a cigarmaker who had attacked him days earlier was fined only $10 for the unprovoked assault.

1934 – The first 50 of an anticipated 300 World War I veterans arrived at Matecumbe Key to begin work for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration on a series of bridges for the Overseas Highway.

1946 – S.H. Kress announced that it would construct a two-story building adjoining its store on Duval Street at the corner of Fleming Street.

1950 – A crowd of a thousand lined the streets to view the Halloween parade that had about 500 costumed school children.

1955 – Monroe County shrimp production for 1954 was about 13 million pounds of heads-on shrimp with a dock side value of about $4 million.

1960 – After five years of service, the Key West-Havana ferry made its final crossing from Cuba. The official reason for the suspension of service was a lack of patrons, but it also came as tensions were increasing between the U.S. and Fidel Castro’s new government.  

1998 – The 20^th annual Fantasy Fest parade drew a crowd of 60,000. Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky costumes were abundant.

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Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.

Image: The car deck of the Havana-Key West ferry City of Havana on its last trip, 1960. Photo by Don Pinder. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.