Key Largo history

Timeline

1. 1513 — Las Martires. Ponce de León sails past the Keys and records them as Las Martires (The Martyrs).
2. 1912 — The railroad arrives. Henry Flagler's Over-Sea Railroad is completed; the first train reaches Key West on Jan. 22, linking the Keys to the mainland until the 1935 hurricane.
3. 1938 — Overseas Highway opens. The Overseas Highway officially opens July 2 as the road route through the Keys.
4. 1960 — First undersea park. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is created off Key Largo — the first undersea park in the United States, about 70 square nautical miles.
5. 1990 — Marine sanctuary. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is established, protecting about 3,800 square miles of water including the continental U.S.' only living coral barrier reef.
6. 2002 — Spiegel Grove reef. The 510-foot Navy ship Spiegel Grove is sunk about 6 miles off Key Largo in about 130 feet of water as an artificial reef for advanced divers.

Sources: Florida Keys: 200 Years of Paradise timeline (Florida Keys & Key West tourism council, with historian Brad Bertelli). Checked Oct 9, 2026.

Museums & historic sites

• John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park · 102601 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo

  Visitor center with reef exhibits; check the park site for hours and fees.

  Hours & admissionDirections