How the 113-Mile Overseas Highway Took People to Key West

Key West is the southernmost part of the continental United States, but up until the early 20th century, it was hard to get to. Now there's a 113-mile highway that has 42 bridges (one is seven miles long) that will take you to all the Florida Keys. The Overseas Highway is an amazing feat of engineering, and you might be surprised to learn that it started out as a railroad. 

Henry Flagler was one of the founding partners of Standard Oil, a very wealthy man, who fell in love with Florida. In the 1880s, the biggest city in the state only had 10,000 people, but Flagler was about to change that. He bought hotels. And he needed railroads to bring in guests. Flagler became obsessed with transportation in Florida, and bought or built railroads all along the eastern coast. In 1905, he launched his biggest project yet- building a railroad through the Keys. He set up 83 work camps for 5,000 men at a time. He built floating concrete mixers. He shipped in millions of gallons of fresh water. And in 1912, his railroad was open all the way to Key West. It was nice while it lasted, but the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 caused so much damage that the state of Florida took over the railroad. And it became the foundation of the highway. 

That's only part of the story. Turning a railroad into the Overseas Highway took some imagination. Read how it all happened at The Autopian. 

(Image credit: Tinsley Advertising; Mercedes Streeter)