the florida keys are spectacular with sparkling waters soft sand and warm sun but as far as
tourism is concerned throughout history there was one little problem in that they were
quite hard to reach but thankfully the seven mile bridge a part of a 110
mile long ocean highway that connects the remote keys to the mainland
changed everything today we discover the history of the seven mile bridge
its engineering and impact on florida i'm your host ryan socash and you're watching it's history
humans have enjoyed the beauty and bounty of the florida keys for thousands of years starting with
native americans who hunted and harvested abundant marine resources long before europeans arrived
when explorer juan panza de leon chartered the keys islands in 1513 he called them the martyrs
because he thought the islands resembled men in distress the more popular name simply the
keys is derived from the spanish word kaio meaning small island however the first permanent settlers
arrived in about 1822 and engaged in fishing and salvaging shipwrecks population growth
and economic development in the archipelago had fluctuated over time reaching one of the highest
peaks in the 1890s this archipelago is made up of a group of about 1 700 islands beginning at the
southeastern tip of the florida peninsula about 15 miles south of miami they extend in an arc
southwest by south and then westward to key west which is the westernmost of the inhabited islands
this island chain stretches for a distance of 220 miles and lie along the florida straits
dividing the atlantic ocean to the east from the gulf of mexico to the west the total area of
the florida keys is about 137 square miles with a population of about 79 000 back in the 2000 census
generally speaking this is a very mysterious place as it's founded on the remains of an ancient coral
reef all accessible by what was at one point the longest continuous concrete bridge in the world
today the seven mile bridge is the longest of many bridges that connect the florida keys but
who is the mastermind behind this bridge and where did it all begin currently there are two bridges
within the initial location but they serve different purposes while the modern bridge
is open to be used mainly by vehicles the older bridge is primarily used by pedestrians
and cyclists let's begin with the old seven mile bridge which was the vision of henry morris and
flagler an industrialist who owned the florida east coast railway flagler was born in 1830 in
new york and was educated only to the eighth grade in 1862 flagler and his brother-in-law
barney hamlin york founded the flagler and york salt company which was a michigan salt mining
and production business he found that salt mining required more technological knowledge than he had
and struggled in the industry during the civil war the company collapsed when the war undercut
commercial demand for salt with flagler losing his initial fifty thousand dollar investment and an
additional fifty thousand dollars he had borrowed from his father-in-law flagler believed he had
learned a valuable lesson and vowed to only invest in new businesses after a thorough investigation
later he established the standard oil company with john d rockefeller in 1870 and became a wealthy
well-respected businessman in 1885 he purchased a short line railroad between jacksonville and
st augustine and began extending the rails southwards towards miami however flagler's
vision of his railroad project went beyond miami you see he wanted an overseas railroad
making his trains serve the island of key west a booming city of more than ten thousand people
unfortunately for him between miami and key west were a hundred miles of ocean at the time of its
construction many observers and even engineers thought this would be an impossible feat but in
1905 construction began flagler spent 30 million dollars on building costs with materials being
imported from across the globe steamships brought fabricated steel from pennsylvania
then they used cement from germany and belgium products came from new york georgia and chicago
and barges carried fresh water from miami to the construction site by 1908 the first segment from
homestead to marathon was completed and marathon became a boom town filled with music and nightlife
even cuban pineapples and limes were brought by ship there where they were loaded onto railway
cars and sent north as construction continued railway workers used pigeon keys as a base
for further railway construction and the seven mile water gap between marathon and bahia honda
took some engineering powers to overcome in 1909 and 1910 devastating hurricanes
severely hampered the completion of the project thankfully the seven mile bridge was divided into
four parts to speed up construction the first three knights key bridge pigeon key bridge
and moser channel bridge consisted of steel girder spans laid on concrete foundation
pillars the piers were secured to the bedrock which in some cases was 28 feet below the
waterline with a swinging span inserted to pass boats between the atlantic and the gulf
the fourth section of the bridge was called the passage channel viaduct and it consisted of
253 foot concrete arches for 11 years crews worked on what some considered the impossible and finally
the first train crossed the bridge on january the 28th 1916. the seven mile bridge is 6.7 miles long
and 38 feet wide with a clearance of 65 feet the completed project was an absolute marvel
but unfortunately as nature would have it even the greatest marvels are susceptible to hurricanes
the railway stayed open for 23 years and on labor day in 1935 tragedy struck in the
form of one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever hit the united states more than 400 people
along with the flagler railway was lost leaving mere remnants behind after this destruction the
government was forced to reconstruct the bridge for enhanced purposes with a wider span that would
allow vehicles to pass the bridge curiously in the rebuilding of this bridge construction
authorities used the dismantled tracks to make the guardrails for the new bridge it was also rebuilt
such that it allowed for the free passage of ships therefore it was perceived to be a ground-breaking
engineering feat as it was constructed under the continuous challenge of water ultimately in 1938
the united states government replaced the railway with a new road called the overseas highway
the bridge was narrow and according to some made for some terrifying driving but it created the
first passage for motorists across the ocean to the florida keys and as history does repeat itself
this roadway would also be faced by the wrath of nature in 1960 hurricane dana caused immense
damage which underscored the need to construct yet again a new bridge the construction of the
new bridge started in 1978 but faced significant challenges as it stretched for longer miles
with no substantial support base or place to anchor this meant that the traditional bridges
such as those based on arches or suspension would not suffice to the circumstances
the old seven mile bridge or the original knight key bridge to pigeon key is listed on the national
register of historic places home to the only authentic museum documenting the construction
of the overseas railroad between 1908 and 1912 as many as 400 workmen lived on the five-acre pigeon
key and this heritage is remarkably preserved as a unique destination treat located between
the old seven mile bridge and east of moser channel which is the deepest section of the
seven mile water span traversed by the present-day famous seven mile bridge the pigeon key historic
foundation maintains the remaining buildings and offers tours and educational stays pigeon
key provides a serene and historical tourist site to have leisure while also enjoying a view
of the impressive new bridge it is imperative that the resolute standing of the two bridges
continues to demonstrate the resilience of the construction workers involved in building them
to showcase and connect the florida keys the seven mile bridge is also listed on the national
register of historic places for its significance it has enhanced connectivity while at the same
time underscoring the importance of the keys as a tourist destination the central part of
the original bridge is still in existence even though the swinging span that facilitated the
smooth passage of boats has since been demolished this was carried out after hurricane donna's
destruction in the year of 1960. the old bridge is used by pedestrians and cyclists for sightseeing
and leisure people also fish off of the bridge and take advantage of the absence of vehicles
throughout the old segment despite this the old bridge has continued to tear apart
because of the salt water and storms that erode it faster than the state of florida can repair it
this is why the old bridge was closed between 2016 and 2017 allowing for renovation of parts
damaged by water storms and corrosion ultimately the state government also established parking
lots and walkways accessible to disabled people and picnic areas in fact every year one saturday
is selected in april to host the seven mile bridge run commemorating the reconstruction of the bridge
that forms an essential history of the development of transportation not only in the keys but across
the country as a whole the foot race has also been completed to offer a convenient passage for people
who wish to walk over the entire bridge as mentioned a moment ago the restoration
process continues at the old seven mile bridge old railroad tracks were recycled and painted
white to be used as guard rails the section to pigeon key 2.2 miles was closed in 2008
to motorize traffic when unsupported areas began to sag and are now only used as a fishing pier
and for pedestrians the modern bridge was constructed between 1978 and opened for vehicle
traffic in 1982. in 2014 the florida department of transportation approved a 77 million dollar plan
to restore the old bridge with extensive repairs estimated to be completed in the early 2020s
that's it for today's episode hit that subscribe button and smash the bell so
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history council by clicking that join button and until next time this is ryan socash signing off