The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-12
Key West, the Island Outpost
By Frederic J. Haskin.

Key West, Fla, Jan, 1f-Key West Els the southernmost city of the United States. It is built on little Island, far off the mainland. but 1t is the county seat of Monroe County. Fla, which includes most of the Florida Keys. a portion of the mainland and the uncharted and uncounted little is- lands of the archipelago known as the Ten Thousand Islands. In the popular mind Key west is associated with cigars. Cigar making is the principal business of the city. and furnishes a livelihood for . majority of the 20.00O inha bitants. For many years Key West .was the principal center for the manufacture of hiEh-srsde cigars in the United States. but Tampa has taken away that glory. Key West makes as many cigars as ever. but Tampa makes, more.
 The ciSar business. however, Is not the principal item of importance tn reckoning the value of Key West as an American city. It is populous island outpost situated in q position of great strategic strength. The fortifications at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas are more formidable. but Fort Jeffer- son is nothing but fertilization, Key West has Fort Taylor and . naval station, and it also has population.
 
 ands of them speaking Spanish, but they are nearly all Americans In spirit Key West is close to Havana. only ninety miles by the sailing course
 The Panama Canal will be completed in a few years. The American people confidently expect that 1t will mean great deal to the commerce or ,ne nation and the world, and It Is wlth that confidence that they are taxing An if Blt lx t8 entirely possible that the age Of war is not over, that there may be another great clash of armed nations In which the United States will take part, and ID which the Panama Canal will play an important part. Four hundred years ago the island of Cuba was recognized as the strategic key to the command of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf or Mexico. Cuba Is not American terri torv. hui fine United States has naval stations there which give this coun- try military control over 1t in case or internationai war.
 Kew West occupies position Of commandinE strength just to the nortn of Cuba. When the canal is finished 1t will lie in the path of the neWiy directed commerce.. war snouio come 1t would be one Of the strons positions for the defense of the seas which, COHIlhNa sshC SGh&A VI
 fantic side. Before the canal Is com pleted there will be railroad connec- tion to Key West. Troops may then be rushed by fast train to a point within four or five hours of Havana, and supplies may be dispatched py fast freight directly to the supply ships which are actually at work on the Gulf station. x.,.
 The military importance Of Key west was thoroughly demonstrate0 ouiIns ,a our own Civil War. Key West was always In the hands of the Feuerais. ana 1t was the chief asset of the navy In enforcing and maintaining the hloc,xaSe of the Gulf ports Of the con saderatn states. The harbor at Key West is a good one for commerciai nurposes. although it is not ideally ada ptsd to the uses of the modern navy. As a supply depot, however. II is perfect. In modern warIare ns urebiem of quick and untrammelled transportation of supplies is of even greater importance at certain stages of action than actual fighting ability. The new railroad to Key West VIII make that city what it was during the Civil War, tthe most. valuable outpost on the Gulf of Mexico. ~c
 Key West has beeh accustSmed Co the shock of war for centuries. al- though the city is less than hundreo years old. When the Spanish conquis- tadores first came to this part of the world. the southern portion of Florida was inhabited by the Cabs Indians a tribe which had attained a higher de- gree of civilization than moAt of the North American Indians. They accept ed the Spaniards. received their mis- sionaries and embraced the Christian religion. Ruins of an old Calos church are yet to be seen in the heart of the Everglades.
 Then came the Seminoles. In the Creek language the wer3 Seminole means runaway" or 'vagabond." The Seminolea had run away from the Creek nation to the north and invaded Florida They were more valiant in war than the peaceful and agricultural lCalos tribe. A long war began and the Seninoles drove their enemies from | the mainland to a refuge on the keys The Seminoles learned the craft of the sea and gave pursuit. Finally the rem nant of the Cabs people took refuge l on the island which is now called Key West.
 1 Here they made the last stand. The lseninotes came in great numbers. anu vhen the battle was over the Calos nation was a thing of the past A te" fuattiyes embarked in canoes and. es iS hv miracle, crossed the rough Guli Stream and landed in Cuba The deao were left on the field Of oattie anu