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This small coral island, little more than 10 acres in area, figures prominently in Florida's early history, from pre-historic Indians to the 1830's. Archeological excavations have shown that Calusa Indians lived in the Keys for several thousand years prior to the arrival of the first Spanish explorers, who discovered Florida in 1513. The eastward-flowing Gulf Stream provided a quick route home for the treasure-laden Spanish fleets. The shoals and reefs south of the Keys proved to be extremely dangerous when tropical storms or hurricanes blew up unexpectedly. Many treasurefleets were sunk on the reefs along the Keys, to the profit of the Indians. Later, in the mid-1700s, salvaging shipwrecks, or "wrecking," as it was called, became so profitable for local fishermen that the practice attracted pirates. American occupation of Florida in 1821 put an end to pirating. Key West became the wealthy center of the salvage-wrecking industry.
A newcomer, Jacob Housman, challenged the monopoly of Key West in 1831, when he bought Indian Key and built his own wrecking colony there. A few years of prosperity followed, during which Housman's political activities established the new Dade County, with Indian Key as the county seat. His fortunes declined rapidly, forcing him to mortgage the island. In 1840, during the Second Seminole War, a large band of Indians attacked the community, killing several people and destroying buildings. No one has lived on Indian Key since the late-1800s. The archeological excavations, the foundations of buildings, cisterns, and partially restored buildings provide the visitor with a sense of the colorful, adventurous lives of these "wreckers."
An observation tower, boat dock, shelter, and trails are provided. There are no rest rooms. Most facilities and activities are not accessible to the handicapped. For further information, write or phone the Park Manager, Long Key State Recreation Area, P. 0. Box 776, Long Key, FL 33001. Telephone: (305) 664-4815.
LONG KEY STATE RECREATION AREA
The bedrock of Long Key is Key Largo Limestone, although much of it is thinly covered by carbonate sand, Figures 19 and 20. The park beach in Figure 19 shows the vulnerability of the key's shoreline to wave erosion; the shoreline has been cut back to a point where trees are being undermined. Comparing this exposed, eroding beach with the shoreline in Figure 4, which is accreting seaward due to mangrove growth, illustrates the importance of mangroves as a geological agent and as a buffer against storm damage.