veryone on Key Largo Key living north of Tavernier. And once again, the community
of Key Largo had no definable center or identity. The old Rock Harbor Post Office, a small building located at mile marker 100,
was recently demolished in 1993, quietly erasing another small piece of Key's history.
In 1939 Miami Beach developer Carl Fisher began constructing the Caribbean Club, but failing health precluded him attending
the January 1940 opening. The use of the Club's facade for the filming of the 1948 movie “Key Largo, based on Maxwell
Anderson's Broadway play, gave the name Key Largo instant popularity. A 1955 fire in the hotel portion of the club took the life of
a Miami woman allegedly in the room of a Long Island doctor and prompted an investigation. Ruthie Whitehurst purchased the
club from Richard Craig in 1962 and has operated the club to present.
The movie "Key Largo" occurred during the tenure of George Brown as the Rock Harbor postmaster. Local businessmen
wanted to capitalize on the international popularity of Key Largo, but there was not even a Key Largo mailing address. In 1952,
the name of the Rock Harbor Post Office was arbitrarily changed to the Key Largo Post Office. Nothing really changed except the
post office sign and the cancellation stamp. The effect was to combine Key Largo, Rock Harbor, the Ocean Reef Club, the
Angler's Club and Newport into one postal community, and everybody north of Tavernier had Key Largo as a new address.
Outgoing letters were postmarked Rock Harbor on May 31, 1952 and Key Largo on June 1, 1952. It was then that the name of
Key Largo as a community, not as an island, was resurrected.
A definite increase in growth was experienced by Key Largo in the 1950s. This was generally due to the end of World War II, the
fresh water pipe line, public electricity, a certified High school and mosquito control. In my collection, the first published phone
book was dated "Corrected Through November 8, 1951;" therefore, I assume there was one before this. The following is a count
of listed residential and business phone numbers by location:
Tavernier = 75
Rock Harbor = 26
Key Largo = 16
Plantation Key = 5
Garden Cove = 1
Matecumbe from Long Key to Snake Creek listed 148; therefore, the Upper Keys had 371 phone listings.
In the mid 1950s the The Homestead Leader began publishing a weekly Keys section in its newspaper. A significant change
was experienced in the late 60s or the 1970s. The Upper Keys did not have any banking institution until the First Federal Saving
& Loan opened in the Port Largo Plaza. In 1972 a reasonably well used small landing strip opened using the breakwater of the
Port Largo subdivision. Then in 1977 the Florida Keys First State Bank opened where it remains today - 2004.
Chronologically this was the era when environmentalism just began to be manifested. In 1934 the U.S. legislature passed a bill
dubbed "Alligator and Snake Swamp Bill." President Franklin Roosvelt signed the bill on May 31, 1934. This parp proposal
included all of Key Largo and part of the reef.
As a significant portion of west Monroe County property was taken for the park, the county prevailed in placing the east park
boundary just west of Key Largo and Cross Key. In 1946 the Park Commission was re-activated with The Miami Herald's
associate editor John Pennekamp as its leader. The park was dedicated by President Truman on December 6, 1947. In 1956
"No Spear Fishing" signs appeared north of Long Key.
The year 1956 also marked the start of the construction of the Cross Key Waterway or the Key Largo Waterway as it was then
known. Today, most simply call it "The Cut." Marvin D. Adams purchased 50 acres of land in the narrowest part of the island of
Key Largo. Barney Waldin had invented a side mounted coral cutting machine and agreed to excavate 'The Cut' for the coral fill
material. Both canal ends and the highway/utility portion were left untouched. Barney excavated the 100-foot wide 40-foot deep
plugged canal in a year and a half. Some time passed before 'The Cut' was completed due to permits, highway and ut