Key West, FL – Dec. 2022 – Jan. 2023 🐔

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.
Mark Twain

Highlight: Cuban Queen Coffee shop ☕️☮️

The early history of Key West, Florida is that of a long and illustrious variety. The personalities, both famous and infamous, who shaped the island include explorers and entrepreneurs, artists and privateers and smugglers and military leaders.

Florida, or La Florida, was discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1513. His crew nicknamed the island of Key West Florida Los Martires, or the martyrs, because of the thick and twisted mangroves along the shores of these Florida Keys southernmost islands. European charts and maps listed Key West, Florida as Cayo Hueso, or Bone Key, because of sun bleached bones found on the island.

The control of the Keys went back and forth between Spain and England for many years until all of Florida was ceded to the United States in 1819. U.S. businessman John Simonton had purchased the island of Key West. Realizing the potential for its deep water, he divided it into four parts, kept one for himself and sold the other three to businessmen Fleming, Whitehead and Green. These four names live on as Key West street names.

Simonton then convinced the United States Navy that Key West would make a great Navy base for the northern Caribbean region due to its easy access through the Gulf of Mexico. In 1822, Lt. Matthew C. Perry sailed the USS Shark to Key West FL Keys to scope out the island as a commerce port and military base. He reported back favorably and claimed Key West for the United States.

During World War II a number of German U Boats sank cargo and military ships in the Gulf Stream and especially around Key West. The Naval Station became the home of the Fleet Sonar School, Underwater Weapons Development and Underwater Swimmer’s School (later called Scuba). Following World War II, President Truman needed rest and a warm climate to recover from a cold. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz recommended the Key West Naval Station. Truman rested and relaxed in November 1946 returning for a total of 11 working vacations lasting 175 days until March 1952. Details of these trips are found in the presidential logs. Key West was an integral part of anti submarine warfare throughout the Cold War period from 1946 to 1974 with numerous American and Allied sailors trained here.

Presidents Eisenhower and John F Kennedy used the Key West Naval Station for important summits during their term in office. In 1974, changing technology impacted the base as the newer larger nuclear submarines could not use our harbor and the Naval Station was disestablished.

The 1980s saw Key West re-developed as a tourist destination and former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton relaxed at the Little White House. Old Town Trolley was established to provide sightseeing tours along with their sister company the Conch Tour Train. Cruise ships began to make regular visits and today Key West is recognized as a global tourist destination. In 2001, Secretary of State Colin Powell led international peace talks between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia. The US Naval Station, due to the mild climate, has become a major training center for pilots.

Key West, Duck Key, Fort Zachary Taylor, West Martello Fort, East Martello Fort, Boot Key kayak trail on Sister Creek, at Sombrero Beach, Crane Point Museum & Nature Center.

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.
Amelia Earhart

About them Cuban Roosters 🐔:

Key West roosters are the most photographed inhabitants of Key West. A rooster is a male chicken and the term “rooster” originated in the United States. It could come from the fact that most chickens “roost” in trees to sleep at night.

Roosters are very territorial and will protect their hens. Key West Roosters descend from roosters bred in Cuba and the Keys for fighting. For many years a winning fight rooster would be a source of income and, of course, bragging rights. Cockfights are no longer legal in the United States; because of this, a lot of chickens were released and left to their own on the Island. Today these roosters are prized for their gorgeous colored plumes and still have their fighting spirit of their ancestors.

Fiercely protective, these hens rely on their genes to guard against threats from the air such as hawk attacks, along with snake, rodent, cat, dog, and other threats. Because of this, there is a waiting list for these chickens.

At one point, the rooster population grew so big that back in 2004 Key West hired a chicken catcher to reduce the population. The work of the catcher was very controversial so when the contractor quit the post was discontinued. The contractor didn’t even last a year.

Today the Key West Wildlife Center has a community trapping program. Residents can trap nuisance chickens and bring them to the center. The chickens are fed and cared for very well. The Wildlife Center will relocate the chickens to farms in central and northern Florida for their eggs and pest control (since they love to eat bugs). In 2011, there were 1,500 chickens relocated.

The Key West Wildlife Center relocates the chickens to, among other places, an organic orange orchard in Lake Worth to provide pesticide free bug control. Some are also sent to a large farm animal rescue ranch near Lake Okeechobee and an eight acre ranch in Fort Meyers.

The Center is mainly funded through donations but they do receive some funding directly from the City of Key West.

Overall, the Key West roosters are what make Key West unique and wonderful. They are all over the city and you can’t miss hearing them all hours of the day…. and night. (Source: funinkeywest.com/)