The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-05-06
Paper On Key Vests History
eeeeeeeee : % .
WALTER NORMAN

The following is q copy of tn,
paper on Key Vests history con.
tributed by Walter Norman. win
ner of second prize, in the contest
among high school pupils which
closed here recently:
Key West
Key West, "The Fisherman.
Paradise" as it is known toda,
was not yet inhabited at the time
Napoleon / was making his con.
quest over most of Europe.
In 1915, the year when Napo,
Icons rule was over, the Spanish
governor of Florida, Don Juan de
Estrada, granted to Juan Pablo
Salas the island of Cayo Huesc
for faithful service in the RoyaI
Artillery Corps.
Salas, after receiving the grant
did nothing in the way of settling
or inhabiting the island, so in 1921
he offered to sell the entire grant
to John w. Simonton, who was q
native of New Jersey but his bus.
mess connections were with cities
in the south and Cuba so he later
settled in Mobile. FOreseeing the
prospects of the island and the
good harbor, he decided in Jan
nary 1922, A. d. to buy the is
land and on the 10Th he paid
So, 900 for it.
Later he sectioned the island
off and sold parts to John Noun
tain, John Whitehead, and John
Fleming. Mountain soon trans
ferred his share to Pardon Greene,
who became a permanent resident.
There is no definite record as
to where Key West acquired its
name. While there are two ex-
plantations as to where it was OBJ
tanned. The oldest settler in this
part of the country was at Char
lotte Harbor about ITS; it was
gotten from him that there were
tribes of Indians living on the
Florida Keys; on Key West there
lived different tribe from that
on the mainland and when the is
landers ran out of food supplies
hunt. OF course there would be
they would go to the mainland and
fights between the tribes. After
the islanders had made one sue
cessful trip to the mainland, the
other tribes on the mainland band
ed together and came down to the
keys and literally massacred the
whole tribe on the island leaving
dead and dying strewn all over
| the sands of our island. This
giving the explanation of Cage
Hueso, or Bone Key and thus tt
the corruption key. West" The
other explanation of the original
ing of the name is that it is the
most westerly key of the Florids
Keys thus obtaining the name
key West" The former ex-
PLANTATION is the one mostly &C.
cepted by the population of the
island.
Early Survey
As early as 1929 the island was
| surveyed and mapped by William
A. Whitehead who came to the is.
I! land in October, 1923 while hi
was still a boy. He established
a business in Key West but in
1888 he went to New York ant
started in business. The actua
settlement of Key West started In
1913 when several families from
South Carolina and other states
bought lots and began to build or
the part of the island laid out fol
the city. In 1922 after the Unit.
ed States flag was raised over tht
| island. Lieutenant MI. G. Perry
commander of the u. S. Schoonel
SHARK" named It "Thompson's
Island and named the harbol
! Port Rodgers; these names didn'f
| last long for the people seemed Il
like saCayo Hueso" and t.Kes
1 West" better.
No street extended southeast
ernly further than Caroline street
so In 1881 the city council CAV,
the right to the inhabitants along
Eaton street to cut down tn,
trees between Simonton and Du
val streets. Eaton street wa,
nothing but a grove Of small tree,
and underbrush past Simontof
street. but in 1887 Elizabeth street
and Fleming street were cut ava.
as far up as their intersection. Tn.
first thru street to the South
beach was Whitehead street. Du
val street extended only half wa,
between Eaton and Fleming street.
and there was only one house on
Duval street after crossing Caro-
line street going south: that be
longs to a Captain +. p. Waiting
ton who has family that are still
living In the old weather heater
| structure. Most Of the clearing
was done by United States sailor,
that were sent ashore from the u
s. Sloop Concord for the pur
pose.
During the Civil War in 1861
Key West was under the unioF