1898 – A correspondent wrote of Key West’s booming cigar business, “Our city is once more at the top of the ladder, and it behooves our manufacturers and citizens to keep it there. The Key West cigar industry has achieved a widespread reputation, and the manufacturers will do their best to retain it and enlarge its scope.”
1924 – Charles Lunn, former Key West police officer and employee of the Florida East Coast Railway, lost his arm when the railcar he was working under in the Trumbo yard was unexpectedly bumped. As the car lurched forward, his limb was caught between the wheel and the track.
1973 – The Eduardo Gato house, at 1327 Duval Street in Key West, and the Sand Key Lighthouse were added to the National Register of Historic Places.
1980 – President Carter ordered 400 U.S. Marines to Key West to take charge of the Cuban refugees arriving via the Mariel boatlift.
2009 – Monitoring wells in the Biscayne Aquifer were low and threatened by saltwater intrusion, so the South Florida Water Management District issued an emergency order limiting the watering of Florida Keys lawns to once a week.
2013 – Key West City Commissioners approved a question for the October ballot on whether Key West should ask for a study on widening the Main Ship Channel to accommodate larger cruise ships.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The Gato house at 1327 Duval Street, Key West, circa 1970. From the Dale McDonald Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.