ility
bypasses and reconstruction. It opened in 1963 for maritime traffic and technically Key Largo became two islands.
In 1959 Governor Leroy Collins gave the Coral Reef Preserve control of the ocean bottom out to the three-mile limit. On
December 10, 1960 at Harry Harris Park Governor Collins named the preserve the "John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
One problem was not a single inch for a land base existed --a total underwater state park. Through John Pennekamp's efforts
the Radford Crane family donated 74 acres for a land base. The problems were not over as not an inch of the 74 acres had
vehicular access to U.S.1. Enter Herbert and Donna Shaw who donated a 60-foot strip of land from U.S. 1 to the property. As
another 'small' donation the Crane family donated the entire Julia island with three miles of oceanfront to the park. With control
of Julia Island, South Creek was dredged deeper to provide reasonable access to and from Florida Bay, via the now Marvin D.
Adams Waterway. The Adams Waterway and Pennekamp have separate web pages.
The 1926 original Key Largo community was considered to be about four linear miles, as opposed to today's Key Largo
spanning about 24 miles from Ocean Reef to Tavernier's approximately defined border at MM 96.
Source - Historical Preservation Society of the Upper Keys - 2000
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