.jpg) Camp Sawyer on Scout Key in 1987 | |
  Scout Key Scout Key Show map of Florida Scout Key Scout Key (Caribbean) Show map of Caribbean | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Gulf of Mexico |
| Coordinates | 24°38′59″N81°18′39″W / 24.649855°N 81.310887°W /24.649855; -81.310887 |
| Archipelago | Florida Keys |
| Adjacent to | Florida Straits |
| Administration | |
| State | Florida |
| County | Monroe |
Scout Key is anisland in the lowerFlorida Keys. It was previously known asWest Summerland Key until 2010.[1]U.S. 1 (theOverseas Highway) crosses the key at approximatelymile markers 34–35, betweenSpanish Harbor Key andBig Pine Key.
The Key was renamed to reflect the two adjoiningscout camps on it, Boy ScoutCamp Sawyer and Girl ScoutCamp Wesumkee. The name change also removed some confusion about its location – despite its name, the formerly-named West Summerland Key is actually about 10 mileseast ofSummerland Key.
Originally, there were three keys at this location. They were connected byfills at the time theOverseas Railroad was built. The keys were West Summerland Key (westernmost), Middle Summerland Key (center), and no name is known for the easternmost key. West Summerland retained its name, but the other two are known simply as theSpanish Harbor Keys; named for theanchorage located between this key andBig Pine Key. Interesting features of this key includeindian mounds, and storage buildings still standing from theFlaglerrailwayconstruction era.
In 2017, Category 4Hurricane Irma destroyed much of the fragile mangroves and dunes on the key, reshaping the Atlantic shoreline. A few buildings were crushed and other damaged in both Scout camps. The swimming platform at the Sawyer camp had to be rebuilt yet again after the most recent rebuilds in 2004 and 2005.[2][3]
Camp Wesumkee is the site of theWinter Star Party,[4] an annual gathering of amateurastronomers.
The eastern end of the key has a small parking area on the Atlantic that allows access to the oldBahia Honda Rail Bridge, which is a popular photography spot among tourists and locals also known as "Broken Bridge".[5]
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