| ISLAMORADA KAYAKING EXPEDITION Lower Matecumbe - Indian Key - Lignumvitae Key - Shell Key - Upper Matecumbe (c) 2006 - by Martin Kucera & FloridaLightning.com |
| April 25th, 2006 - I've been planing this trip for quite some time now. It is nice to have a good calm weather and smooth seas to go out kayaking especially when you want to make some long passages over the stretches of open water. I put in the kayak about half an hour before sunrise on a canal in our neighborhood. Wind was calm. Paddling down the canal I tried the kayak's stability. Quite good for a smaller kayak I thought. The only thing I noticed was that sometimes it was not so easy to keep the kayak going in a straight line toward the destination. As soon as I cleared the canal a nice morning sea breeze hit my face. The temperature was just perfect. I paddled just a little further from the shore to enjoy the scenery of a shoreline and to get over some deeper water. The whole trip it seemed to me that the kayak was going faster and smoother over deeper waters. Indian Key, my very first destination was basking in pre-dawn magenta colors just a couple miles ahead on the horizon. It took some time and practice to learn to fight the tide before I got used to it. It was a beautiful morning when the sun started coming up over the Indian Key. I made it just in time to catch those nice golden colors. Magic hour we call it. First I circled the key. The south side is very nice and wild with waves battering the rugged rocky shore but it is also quite exposed to the elements. The north side of the key on the other hand is peaceful, serene and calm. I landed on a small hastily made looking dock that could only house a small boat - if that (the original one was badly damaged during hurricane Wilma in 2005). Upon walking just a little bit inland you immediately notice there are even street signs here. How nice I thought. You could possibly divide the Key into several major parts. First of all, there is a large grassy area that is dead on in the middle of the island. This is where a town square used to be with a nearby U.S. Navy hospital. Then there are about four major 'streets' basically circling the island. These days you could call them 'walking trails'. Most of the remnants of the original dwellings seem to be on the east side. You can see the place where Perrine family once lived. Dr. Perrine moved to the Indian Key in 1838 with an interest in tropical plants (he planted hemp, tea, coffee, bananas, and mangoes). Perrine was later killed during an Indian attack in 1840. Also on the east side there is a grave of Jacob Housman, probably the most prominent figure that once lived here. Wrecking, the salvage of vessels wrecked on offshore reefs, has been an important industry in the keys since the late 1700s. Under the direction of Jacob Housman, who bought the island in 1831, Indian Key challenged Key West as a wrecking center. Housman built a store, hotel, residences, warehouses and wharves as he turned Indian Key into a busy port. In 1836 he had the Legislative Council establish Dade County with Indian Key as the county seat. This prosperous community came to a violent end on August 7, 1840, when the town was attacked and burned by Seminole Indians during the Second Seminole War. There is also an observation tower on the island to get a better perspective of the Indian Key. South shore of the island is wild, windy and beautiful with a great view of the ocean horizon. You just have to be somewhat careful with your footing since the shoreline here is quite rocky and rugged. The overall feel of the tiny island is wonderful. Especially if you find yourself here alone in the early morning hours. The walking trails are nicely maintained and there are signs everywhere so you can do a little self guided tour if you like. The island is definitely larger than it seems from the shore. There is a lot of singing birds and interesting tropical plants. Some parts look like a jungle with razor sharp sawgrass everywhere. It is pretty much not worth coming here if you know nothing about the place. That might be the case of some individuals using the island for other activities than it is intended these days for (you can find graffiti in certain parts, piles of cigarrete butts etc... Knowing at least some history of the Indian Key before making a trip here will greatly benefit your visit. Otherwise you'll just walk around and go back home which is quite ignorant with regards to this place and U.S. history in general. Other interesting facts about the Indian Key : - After the 1840 massacre, the Florida squadron of the Navy moved to Indian Key, but only stayed there until the end of the Second Seminole War in 1842. The 10.4-acre island was sold at public auction January 15, 1844 - A military garrison was sent to Indian Key in 1856 because of concerns of Indians seen in the surrounding areas. This was the time period of the Third Seminole War - It was used as a depot to store and pre-assemble the Alligator Reef lighthouse from late 1870 to 1873. - In 1876 Henry Perrine Jr. re-visited Indian Key for an hour. He commented that "There are perhaps half dozen common dwelling houses scattered about the central portion of the Key." - Henry Flagler used Indian Key to support his dredging operations in the middle Upper Keys. It was especially important during the early construction of the Indian Key Fill causeway. The island and it wharves were used to support dredge operations. - At the time of the 1935 hurricane, two unemployed telegraph operators were using Indian Key as a fishing location. The Miami Herald of September 4, 1935 gave their names as Lee Colter and Bill Hanlan. After the hurricane, one was found draped over a cistern with a broken back and the other was reportedly found drowned on Lignumvitae Key. In 1971, the State bought the Key and designated it a historic site. The saga continues as historic groups attempt preservation and restoration. |
| Indian Key in a distance just before the sunrise. |
| An anchorage on the west side of the Indian Key. You can see sailboats here year long - the area is protected by the Indian Key and yet right on the Atlantic ocean. Ten minutes till I reach the Key. |
| (c) 2006 Martin Kucera & FloridaLightning.com |