Reefs, Meet the Industrial Revolution

For all you history, geology, and coral reef nerds, this one goes out to you. World war one, one of the major events after the industrial revolution inspired a man to build a railroad in the early 1900's. A man known as Henry Flanger stumbled across fossils stretching back to before the ice age. The fossils were embedded in a limestone quarry. They were discovered as his men began chiseling and digging slates which were used to level the ground for his railroad. Before we go any further though, let me give you the background to the area.

As mentioned before, the entire quarry area was made of ancient limestone. The quarry is know today as one of Florida's most alluring state parks. It is part of the Florida Keys, specifically Windley Key. The majority of the park is excavated limestone, or otherwise known as Keystone. However, this was not your typical limestone. The 7-10 foot deep walls of Keystone were coated is fossilized coral. Remnants and imprints of brain coral, sea fans, and mustard hill coral. When I say fossilized, I mean you might as well call yourself doctor who cause this place is a time travel experience. Being able to walk up to the detailed fossils and counting the age of the ancient corals that once stood in its place is almost mesmerizing. The excavations were made by a chiseled engine however, the overall machine needed to be moved by hand! Must have been a total pain.

Henry soon completed his railroad in 1912 however, the quarry still continued to operate. The local trains stopped to drop off supplies and mail. Other stops were for transporting beautiful fossilized keystone that was no longer used for stabilizing the ground but instead for building high end homes and jewelry. The quarry became a geological treasure after being hit by a hurricane killing dozens and destroying the site in the 1960's.

If you ever find yourself in the area, this marvel is definitely a place you want to stop and explore. A self guided tour is available as you mosey about as well as a visitors center with park ranger very familiar with the site. The center also contains history lessons and exhibit as well as pieces of the quarry available for purchase. Check it out sometime!

https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/windley-key-fossil-reef-geological-state-park/history