At
the top pf the map can be seen Cape Sable, Florida Bay
and Horse Neck Key.
On
the right hand side can be seen part of the words "Indian
Key" and "Barnes Landing"
Moving
the eye to the left the words Duck Key appear, as well as
Long Island which we now know as Long Key .
Then
comes Key Vaca and Cow Key ( present day Marathon and
Grassy Key), Sombrero Key, Bahia Honda, Newfound Harbor
Key, Saddle Bluff, Pine Islands (Big Pine) , Boca Chica,
Key West with Fort Taylor noted, Woman Key, Boca Grande,
and Marquesas Keys.
Snorkelers
who visit the reef by Sombrero Light will not find a
Sombrero Key which existed in 1774 and is shown 100 years
later on the 1885 map above.
GEORGE
GAULD SURVEY - 1774
In
a survey for the British Admiralty in 1774, George Gauld
wrote
"
About five miles south from the west end of the Cayo de
Vaccas, or Kay Vaccas, there is a small sandy kay on the
reef, called by the Spaniards Cayo Sombrero. . .
"
As
for Duck Key, it was considered part of the Cayo de
Vaccas.
"
Cayo de Vacos, or rather the thick range of islands which
go by that name, extends about N.E. by E. for a space of
5 leagues, the eastern most of which being called Duck
Kay. These islands are covered with trees of various
sort, such as mangrove, button-wood, palmetto trees,
&c. . ."
In
Gauld's section called "Of the Watering Places on the
Florida Keys" , he describes the west end of "Duck Key"
as a fresh water source.
"At
Bahia Honda very good fresh water is to be obtained in
the same manner (earlier reference to digging a well in
the sand): and on the south side of Cayo de Vaccas, about
8 miles from the west end, there likewise fresh water
wells; they are found on the east part of the narrow
opening, with a sandy beach on each side of
it.
".
. . there are several fresh water____, and natural
reserviors among the rocks; particularly a large one on
the _____side of Kay Vaccas, about 6 miles from the west
end, where the water never fails. It lies in a valley
about 100 yards from the beach, a little to the ____ of
three mangrove islands. Fresh water is found sometimes
among the rocks at the west end of Kay vaccas, and the
small islands to the westward ____, as well as the west
end of Duck Kay, and at several other places."
Gauld
survey of the Keys ended as a result of the Revolutionary
War of 1776.
WILLIAM
GERALD DE BRAHM MAP - 1722
William
Gerard de Brahm's chart gives the island the name
Reynold's Island. In De Brahm's guide to mariners which
is published in The Atlantic Pilot in 1722, many
earlier names appearing on Spanish charts are ignored.
William Gerard de Brahm, a Swiss, gave many of the Keys
his own names. He was the first Surveyor General for
British East Florida. De Brahm renames Biscayne Bay
as Sandwich Bay after the Earl of Sandwich and Florida
Bay as Grant's Lake after East Florida's first royal
governor, James Grant.
De
Brahm description of the waters off of Duck Key is a
picture of beauty.
"Approaching
Hawk channel, the water gradually changes from the
stream's deep blue to a beautiful seagreen and at last
into milk-white. The surroundings under the
blue-coloured water are fine white marl with sponge,
coral and tourtoise grass."
Shown
above is a small portion of the De Brahm Chart. Note:
Duck Key named Reynolds I. by De Brahm and Long Key
identified as Veveres by DeBrahm.
DE
BRAHM"S CHART OF THE SOUTH END OF EAST FLORIDA AND THE
MARTIERS
For a
large representation of the De
Brahm
Chart of 1722 click on portable
document format.
File will take several minutes to download without a DSL
connection as it is in portable document format
(.pdf)
Unlike the small .jpeg image above, however a .pdf image
once downloaded can be increased in size to see greater
detail without distortion.
To view a PDF file you must have a document viewing
application called Acrobat Reader. Most computers set up
for internet browsing include Acrobat Reader.
COAST
CHART OF 1864
Coast
chart images from a trigonometrical survey under the
direction of A. D. Bache, Superintendent of the survey of
the coast of the United States. Created and published
Washington, U.S. Coast Survey, 1864.
Pine Key
Islands on l eft. Islands which make up Marathon in
middle, Duck Key and Long Key images to right.
ENLARGEMENTS
Closeup
showing Duck Key to the left and Long Key to
right
Portion
of Vaca Keys, Tom's Harbor Islands, Duck Key, Channel
Key and Conch Keys (Conch and Walker Key)
Channel
Key and Conch Keys (Conch and Walker Key) and part of
Long Key
Vaca
Keys - Note islands are not joined, Channels between
islands were filled in with the building of the
Florida East Coast Railway Extension by Flagler in
early 1900s. Pictured from left is part of the Key
Vaccas, then Stirrup Keys, Fat Deer Keys, Crawl Keys,
and Grassy Key. Tom's Harbor Islands and Duck Key on
right.
1873 - Portion of Survey Map showing Tom's Harbor Islands and Duck Key
The survey map was done by Charles Smith in 1873 and is a portion of a larger survey which also shows Knight's Key, Key Vacca, Hog Key and Grassy Key.
MAP
OF1901
Another
map of the region dated 1901 shows a bit more detail with
the individual Keys still separated by water.
Construction of the Florida East Coast Railway extension
which will connect many of the islands with fill of does
not occur for another decade. Duck Key and the Tom's
Harbor Islands are referred to as the Duck Keys. Grassy
Key is not joined to the Vaca Keys (Gravel Keys) and the
Islands of Marathon such as Knight's Key.
THIS
PAGE CREATED BY DUCK KEY ONLINE
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map
email@duckkeyonline.com
Duck
Key Online
386 East Seaview Drive
Duck Key, Florida 33050
305-289-1872
