“Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers”
by Bob Kranich
N Name Key, (Part 2) “No Name Key” is about a couple of Key West local fellas who have been laid off of their jobs at the local seafood cannery and decide to join up with the Cuban Freedom Fighters
The old ‘48 Ford pulled up to Manuel’s drive. Manuel saw it and came down the steps of his parents’ two-story classical revival house.
Hector drove out of the old town section over to Roosevelt Boulevard and then turned right along the deep sea fishing docks. They crossed the bridge to Stock Island and were on their way.
“Now Hector, what do you know about this No Name Key?”
“Well, I asked my brother, and he knows something about it. He used to fish up that way. I also talked to Island Jim at Sloppy Joe’s, and he knew a lot about it. They say that today the island is uninhabited. But in the late 1800’s, according to a census, it had 45 residents. In the early 1900’s there was a school with over 20 students. The hurricane of 1919 wiped out the school.
In 1930 the construction of the last wooden bridge from Key West was completed. Because of this a lodge was started on No Name. The bridge linked Big Pine Key to No Name and on No Name there was a ferry east to Lower Matecumbe Key. The whopper hurricane of 1935 wiped out the ferry service. The 1948 hurricane finished off the last of the old wooden bridge. With all of the accesses and camps gone through the 50’s, No Name became uninhabited. The Key is about a mile wide and two miles long. What is strange is that this little Key is in places 3 to 4 feet higher than Big Pine Key which is over four times larger.”
“Wow! Unbelievable! How did you retain all of that?” Manuel asked.
“You know that I like history, and besides I’m not old like you. I have a memory,” Hector said with a big smile.
“Look at this, you talked so much, here’s our turn, Highway 4A. We didn’t even see Marathon when we went through it! There’s a store on the corner. Let’s stop and ask around. Maybe we can pick up some snacks and food just in case we find some freedom fighters,” Manuel stated.
“Good idea,” Hector agreed.
The ‘48 Ford eased up to an unpainted wooden building. It had a few signs out front and one old gas pump. They got out and walked in. The screen door slammed with a bang behind them.
“Howdy gents. What can I do for ya?” An older man greeted them from behind a wooden counter next to an antique cash register.
Hector replied, “We need to buy some snacks, a few supplies and then we need information about No Name Key.”
“What do you need to know about No Name Key?” he asked, and then added, “Seems there were a couple of guys in here last week asking about No Name.”
Manuel wandered around picking up items he thought they could use, being very particular with their limited funds.
“Well,” Hector asked, “Is there any way to get over there? I guess that old wooden bridge is gone?”
“Yep, the old wooden bridge went out with the hurricane of ‘48 and then a fire finished what was left of it. All that remains are rows of old wood pilings. But I can tell you two a way to get over there if you don’t have a boat. You don’t have a boat, do you?”
“No, but we sure could use an idea,” Hector said.
“You guys look like good honest customers. So I’m going to give you an idea. But don’t tell anyone I told you so. When you get to the end of the road, park your car. Then face No Name Key, and you will see all those pilings out in the water. If you turn left you will see a faint trail through the mangroves. Go down that trail, and you will come to a very small beach. If no one is using it, you will see a small row boat. Everyone around here uses it. You will need these oars. I will need a ten dollar deposit and will keep five when you bring them back.”
“Wow, thanks a lot,” Hector said.
Manuel came to the front and dropped some items on the counter.
“What do you think, Hector, two cans of spam, beef jerky, a couple of cans of beans and sardines, hard candy, and a loaf of bread. That is about all we can afford. I heard about the ten dollars for the oars. How about we give you five dollars, Old Timer, and you can trust us to bring them back? We’ll give you our driver’s license numbers.”
“You look like trusty souls. I’ll let you have them. By the way, that will be $6.67 for the food, $5 for the oars, $11.67 total.”
“Add a couple of moon pies and two Cokes to that bill,” Hector said.
“That will be an additional 93 cents for a total of $12.60.”
Hector and Manuel each pulled out some dollar bills. The old man bagged up the food.
“Thanks a lot, Old Timer,” Hector said as he took the oars. Manuel carried the bag of food.
“Keep a look out for those fellers who were towing a boat and trailer,” the old man said.
“Sure will,” Hector answered.
“We will have to stick those oars out of one of the back windows,” Manuel said. “They are kind of long.”
Hector rolled down the window, closed the back door and slid the oars in. It didn’t take long to drive the couple of miles down the road and then a right turn onto the smaller road to the water. They could see No Name Key and the row of wood posts heading out to it. They parked the car on the left side of the road.
“The old man was right,” Hector said. “Look over there.”
On the right off the road behind some pine trees and brush was a ‘60 Oldsmobile with a boat trailer hooked on to it.
Hector said, “It isn’t too big of a boat. See the trailer, probably a 12 to 15 foot runabout, with an outboard motor.”
They grabbed the food and oars and went down to the shore next to the pilings. There they saw a faint trail heading towards the mangroves.
From the author: My second full-length book , Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers is composed of 336 pages. There are 12 stories running from 6 pages to as many as 72 pages. It is fully illustrated with 88 watercolors and sketches. The watercolors I made roaming around Key West after I finished my 750 mile hike from Georgia to Key West. (See book on Don Browne’s Southwest Florida Online, A Walk Across Florida.)
As you read these stories you will experience Key West, the Keys, and the Caribbean. These stories span the time of the early 1800’s to 1969. Website:
bkranich.wixsite.com/bobkranich
