Scout Key facts for kids
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Camp Sawyer on Scout Key in 1987
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 Scout Key
Location in Florida
Scout Key
Location in Caribbean
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Gulf of Mexico |
| Coordinates | 24°38′59″N 81°18′39″W / 24.649855°N 81.310887°W |
| Archipelago | Florida Keys |
| Adjacent bodies of water | Florida Straits |
| Administration | |
| State | Florida |
| County | Monroe |
Scout Key is an awesome island located in the lower part of the Florida Keys. It used to be called West Summerland Key until 2010. The famous U.S. 1, also known as the Overseas Highway, goes right across the island. You can find it around mile markers 34–35, between Spanish Harbor Key and Big Pine Key.
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Why is it Called Scout Key?
The island was renamed Scout Key because of two scout camps located there. These camps are Boy Scout Camp Sawyer and Girl Scout Camp Wesumkee. The new name also helped clear up some confusion. Even though its old name was West Summerland Key, the island is actually about 10 miles east of Summerland Key.
How Scout Key Was Formed
Originally, there were three smaller islands in this spot. They were connected by adding land when the Overseas Railroad was built. The islands were West Summerland Key (on the west), Middle Summerland Key (in the middle), and an unnamed key on the east. West Summerland kept its name for a while. The other two are now known as the Spanish Harbor Keys. They are named after a place where ships could anchor between this key and Big Pine Key. You can still find interesting things on the island, like old indian mounds. There are also storage buildings from the time Henry Flagler built the railway.
Nature and Weather on Scout Key
In 2017, a very strong storm called Hurricane Irma hit Scout Key. It was a Category 4 hurricane. The storm badly damaged the delicate mangrove trees and sand dunes along the Atlantic shoreline. This changed the shape of the coast. Some buildings at both scout camps were crushed or damaged. The swimming platform at Camp Sawyer had to be rebuilt again. It had just been rebuilt in 2004 and 2005 after earlier storms.
Fun Things to Do on Scout Key
Camp Wesumkee is a special place that hosts the Winter Star Party. This is an annual event where people who love looking at stars, called amateur astronomers, gather together.
On the eastern side of Scout Key, there is a small parking area by the Atlantic Ocean. From here, you can get to the old Bahia Honda Rail Bridge. This bridge is a very popular spot for taking pictures. Tourists and local people often call it the "Broken Bridge."
