The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-08-25
ALABAMA GROUP DESCRIBES KEY
WEST AS AN INTERESTING CITY

the montgomery NAld.j JOuTud
and Times was an article describ
ing the visit of a group of Mont
gomery travellers over the Over
seas Highway down on to KEY
West, which they claim is an ex
ceedingly interesting city of ole
world charm.
The article relates the history
of Key West and states it wa!
once a thriving city, well known
to seafaring men and a large NUM-
Der of travellers when Miami wa.
nothing but nameless mangrove
swamp ard when even Jackson
vile was known as Cow Ford.
The article in its entirety fol
lows:
Maps definitely have their
place among the things that
make life fun and the Montgom-
cry Florida-See-ers and their
maps were as inseperable as q
pair of pants by the time they
started from Miami to Key West.
Without a map a road is a road,
however pretty or picturesque
But with a map, especially one
of the new illustrated maps, it is
a whole countryside. Towns,
rivers, relative distances, local
products, native fish and animals
and even flowers become instant
ly familiar. Imagine getting
such store of information free
just by driving into a filling sta
ton and asking sweetly for a
map. ISL
ITO the once Tired Society Edi-
tor and the once Weary Stats
tician driving along the Overseas
Highway from Miami to Key
West there was only one fly in
the heavenly ointment other
roads forever must seem pretty
dull after a ride over this miracu-
lous Highway That Goes To Sea-
The Florida Keys are a broken
string of coral beads flung out
where the Atlantic meets the Gull
of Mexico, and across these tiny
islands the highway runs out to
the southernmost tip of the Unit
ed States. Islands and bridges
break glorious stretches of water
so pink and blue and green, one
would like to scoop it up and set
1t in a ring if it were not I'M
lucky for those not born in Octo-
Der to wear opals.
key Largo, largest of the is
lands, is the first of the coral
string after leaving the mainland
a few miles below Homestead
Here the travellers found rising
from green sea of lime orchards
an observation tower and sign
advertising lime pies.
"A view and a new delicacy-
happy combination-and on this
trip the plunging Plymouth
stopped at every interesting pros
pect. A weathered old seaman
with Venus tattoed on one arm
and Neptune on the other offer
ed his binoculars and the view
from the tower was breath-tak-
ing-a panorama of water and
ships and tiny islands.
Once more on terra firma there
was the lime pie, as delectable q
dish as ever made a mouth water
The cook was vague about its
concoction, it's made with eggs
and lime juice and condensed
milk, something like a lemon pie,
but only the Key lines can give
it its enhancing flavor.
Another bridge and there was
Upper Matecumbe and over to
the left the remains of the rail-
road where over 800 veterans lost
their lives in the hurricane OF
1885. Only the pilings remain
above water. Near Islamorads
stands a beautiful monument
over the crypt holding the bodies
of those, by somebody's blunder
taken unaware in the storm.
Another bridge, and on the
Gulf side Lignum Vitae Key
where gun-runners once took or
supplies when revolutionists were
fighting for Cuba Libre'. Their
Lower Matecumbe, Long Key
Grassy Key, Crawl Key, and Key
Vacas, all joined by bridges, and
the travellers came to the famous
long bridge, seven miles over un.
believably opalescent waters, the
longest bridge across water in the
world--and another of Florida.
superlatives. Is
The most spectacular part Of
a spectacular journey came after
crossing Bahia Honda Key. The
road mounted over the top of the
truss bridge of the old East Coast
Railway. destroyed in the hurri
cane. up by gradual ascent unit
these wide-eyed Montgomerian:
drove for nearly a mile SIS fee
above the meeting of the Atlantic
ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
'Then on they drove acros!
Spanish Harbor Key, Big Pin,
Key, peculiar for its Caribbean
pine forest. Torch Key, Ramrod
Cudioe, Sugarloaf. Saddlebunch