It's easy to assume that the railway was built from the mainland down, that hundreds of men worked in the dirt and the heat, steadily moving onward, until they reached Key West. In reality, construction took place at various locations simultaneously­ at its peak there were as many as eighty construction camps along the route. Work started from Homestead in April of 1905, and construction out of Key West began the following November. Supplies and men had to be transported to the work sites via ships and large barges were originally used to quarter the workers. These ships required deep harbors and one that fit the bill was Moser Channel just south of Knight's Key. The decision was made to build a dock at the end of a 4000-foot trestle and establish a supply depot­ the location was ideal to serve the major undertaking of the construction of the seven-mile bridge.

(Top) Knight's Key Dock as a working port. (Left) one of the workmen photographed at the Dock in 1910. He is standing on the wooden trestle that curved around to the dock. (Right) On this maritime chart of Moser Channel, "x" marks the location of Knight's Key Dock. (Below) Life on the Dock during its heyday.

Heading into 1908, Flagler realized that his dealings with the Navy on the question of dredging fill for a terminus in Key West might bring construction to a halt. But he sorely wanted that deep water port that would handle passengers­ he'd suffered from deep-port envy toward Henry Plant since the Spanish American War. He decided to make Knight's Key Dock that port.

Work on the Dock began in 1906, when it was announced that warehouses were being built. For these first years, up until 1908, Knight's Key Dock was a supply depot with barracks for workers. A wooden trestle stretched out into the water in a long curving shape leading to the dock, where two trains could be accommodated­ thereby serving two ships, one on each side of the dock. The water at the Dock is 25-feet deep. The seven-mile bridge was then built above the trestle, with the trestle curving under the new construction.

It took special planning for the train to Knight's Key Dock to fit under the bridge then under construction. Instead of laying the new steel span across space # 36 between Knight's Key and Pigeon Key, the wooden span was left in place. As you can see by the picture, above right, enough room was thereby left for a full-sized locomotive and train to pass under.

The man-made wooden island in the middle of the water had, in only four years time, become a small village. There were a hotel and restaurant, offices and shipping companies, a telegraph and post office, even a Customs office.

From 1908 until the railroad finally opened to Key West, in 1912, Knight's Key Dock was the end of the line. There were two trains a day from Miami, and two trains north from Knight's Key Dock. There was soon a direct train from New York City. Travelers walked off the train and boarded a ship that could then take them to Nassau, Key West or Havana. The steamer Montauk, of the Flagler-owned P&O Line, regularly called at the Dock.

On January 21, 1912 (the day before the train finally went on to Key West,) the wooden span was torn down and replaced by the steel one. Then only hand cars could pass beneath the newly-opened Seven Mile Bridge, making Knight's Key Dock relatively useless. After an amazing six-year lifespan, the Dock was no longer needed. It was destroyed­ probably burned to the water line.

Irving Eyster is a Keys historian who moved here from Indiana in 1947 with his wife, Jeane. In the intervening years, the couple have made a number of discoveries of historical import. Mr. Eyster has served as Miami Dade archaeologist of record and is a major player in the investigation into the history of Indian Key.

In the early 1980's Eyster embarked on an archaeological exploration of Knight's Key Dock. Unfortunately for anyone desiring to see what was left of the dock, it was destroyed when it was made obsolete in 1912 and, after all, was a self-contained wooden island in the middle of the water in the first place. So anything left is now underwater. The dig consisted of weeks in scuba gear combing through the silt on the bottom in search of items of interest.

Luckily for us, this is what he found­ silverware engraved FECRwy. Although there's a slim chance it's from a railway dining car, in all probability it came from the hotel built on the dock. Mr. Eyster says the pieces of flatware were just sticking out of the bottom waiting to be found­ and this wasn't the norm, as cloudy conditions on the bottom ensured that only a few dives would be successful while most dives yielded nothing.

Irving Eyster has offered KWHx magazine the opportunity to introduce our readers to his wonderful finds. In the future, we will feature photos of his discoveries as often as possible. And happy birthday, Mr. Eyster­ this month he turned ninety.