1897 – British residents of Key West asked that the local military post fire a salute in honor of Queen Victoria’s jubilee. The request was denied by the War Department, which said a salute for a foreign sovereign could only be made if the ruler, or a war vessel under the sovereignty, was present.
1924 – A party of Key Westers returning from Dog Rocks in the Bahamas released four dozen whelks near Sand Key. They hoped the whelks would thrive. Some Key Westers considered the whelk tastier than the conch.
1938 – Miss Bernice Brantley was acclaimed Miss Key West and Queen of the Overseas Highway Celebration, July 2-4, at the Cabaret Dance at the Habana Madrid.
1965 –The Garrison Bight causeway bridge was officially opened by Monroe County Mayor Gerald Saunders, Key West Mayor Kermit Lewin, and Rear Admiral Thomas A. Christopher.
1978 – Key West Mayor Charles “Sonny” McCoy water-skied from Key West to Havana.
1991 – Monroe County staff and nearly 100 volunteers collected more than 100 tons of garbage during the “Great Stock Island Clean-up.” The island had long been plagued by illegal dumping.
1999 – Except for Fort Taylor, all Key West beaches were persistently testing for high levels of fecal coliform bacteria. There was no obvious cause for the pollution, and city officials were worried that it might last all summer.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: A photo showing the trash problem on Stock Island in 1991. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.