Lower Matecumbe Key

64 days to Key West!

Once you cross Lignumvitae Channel, you will land on Lower Matecumbe Key.  Lower Matecumbe Key is one of my favorite islands en route to Key West.  The history of the island is very long - the northern end had one of the only sources of fresh water for miles in every direction.  As such, it was a popular stop off for everyone from Indians to pirates to wreckers.

The railroad arrived here in late 1909 and really marked the last of the "easily" accessible islands from the mainland.  It was here that the serious bridge-building began.  By 1928, the first Overseas Highway had reached Lower Matecumbe Key and was to go no farther.  While Henry Flagler was busily bridging Channels #2 and #5, filling in the gaps between the Craig Keys and pushing on to Long Key, the road came to an abrupt end at the south end of Lower Matecumbe Key.  There, vehicles were loaded onto ferries that departed twice a day for No Name Key, 37 miles to the west.  The trip took several hours and was unreliable, oftentimes getting stuck in the shallow flats until the tides brought in enough water to free them.

The current alignment of Route 1 is on top of the original railroad right-of-way, but Lower Matecumbe is one of the best places to see the original roadway.  The old road parallels the new road here, just a few feet to the north (on the right headed toward Key West) where it ends at Matecumbe Harbor.  Here is where the ferry landing was from 1928-1935.  The ferry landing is no longer there, but remnants of the other landing still exist on No Name Key at the end of the road (more on that later).

Old Road construction c. 1935

In 1932, 45,000 World War I veterans marched on Washington, DC to demand payment of the "bonus" promised them for their service in World War I.  The bonus was to be payable, with interest, in 1945, but many demanded early payment, living in squalor during the Great Depression.  At the time, President Hoover turned them away, using force where necessary.  Not to be deterred, the veterans tried again in 1933.  This time, President Roosevelt once again denied early payout, but DID offer many of them employment in New Deal projects, including the construction of the Overseas Highway in the Keys.

Tarpon at Robbie's Marina

One of the first projects was to be the elimination of the ferry route from Lower Matecumbe by constructing bridges from Matecumbe Harbor to Long Key, then on to Key Vaca.  This was one of the projects the "bonus army" was working on when the Labor Day Hurricane destroyed the railroad and took several hundred of their lives with it.  Today, there is little evidence of their work.  However, if you look to the right just as you leave Lower Matecumbe Key to cross Channel #2, you can see the remains of the bridge they had just begun to construct to carry the highway to Jewfish Bush Key (now Fiesta Key).  All that remains of the bonus army are their remains at the Hurricane Monument and eight concrete pilings sticking out of the water at MM 73.



Birds at Robbie's

Today, Lower Matecumbe Key is the site of one of the Keys quirkiest roadside attractions.  Immediately after you arrive on Lower Matecumbe, make the first right turn, double back on the old road, and pull into Robbie's Marina at around MM 77.5.  Robbie's has a community of artists outside selling everything from shirts to artwork to the obligatory painted coconuts.  There is a restaurant there called the Hungry Tarpon that serves up a really good breakfast.  But the real fun is to be had at the marina itself.  Head into the marina where you can buy a soda or a beer, and pay a dollar to "see the tarpon".  Buy yourself a bucket of fish to feed the tarpon!  18 years ago, Robbie and his wife began feeding a tarpon they called Scarface at the dock.  Soon more and more showed up and today, dozens of them congregate at the dock for handouts.  Be careful of the pelicans, who can get very aggressive when there is feeding going on!  If you're staying in the area, Robbie's is also where you can rent boats for fishing or for excursions to Indian or Lignumvitae Keys.

On the far opposite end of the island, a small beach is on the ocean side at MM 73.4.  Anne's Beach is relatively uncrowded, has bathrooms for changing, and water so shallow you can walk out a hundred yards in knee-deep water.  If you can get there when no one else is there, it's a nice place to spend some time wading, shelling and watching shore birds.

When you're done on Lower Matecumbe Key, get back in the car and head south over the short Channel #2 bridge (MM 72.7, the 10th bridge on the way down) to the tiny islands of Craig Key.