Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Crown Pub (2002), Edition: 1, 272 pages
Description
History. Nature. Transportation. Nonfiction. HTML:The fast-paced and gripping true account of the extraordinary construction and spectacular demise of the Key West Railroad—one of the greatest engineering feats ever undertaken, destroyed in one fell swoop by the strongest storm ever to hit U.S. shores. In 1904, the brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler, partner to John D. Rockefeller, dreamed of a railway connecting the island of Key West to the Florida mainland, crossing a staggering 153 miles of open ocean—an engineering challenge beyond even that of the Panama Canal. Many considered the project impossible, but build it they did. The railroad stood as a magnificent achievement for more than twenty-two years, heralded as “the Eighth Wonder of the World,” until its total destruction in 1935's deadly storm of the century. In Last Train to Paradise, Standiford celebrates this crowning achievement of Gilded Age ambition, bringing to life a sweeping tale of the powerful forces of human ingenuity colliding with the even greater forces of nature’s wrath.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Helene
In January 1912 it was hailed as the "eighth wonder of the world", the Florida East Coast Railroad linking New York to Miami and more amazingly Miami to Key West crossing more than 136 miles of open water. The rise and fall of this great engineering achievement can be attributed to one visionary,
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Henry Flager. Known to most historians as the founder of Florida and Rockefeller’s partner in the Founding of Standard Oil, Flager was found of saying that he's be the richest man in world "if it hadn't been for Florida" and his dream of creating a railroad across the ocean to Key West. An amazing story full chronicling the challenges (the 7-mile bridge, hurricanes) faced with building such magnificent achievement. In the end the 1935 "storm of all storms" would prove too great an obstacle for this great masterpiece to withstand. Show Less
LibraryThing member DeaconBernie
Fascinating story of a man who was rich beyond compare and equal to John D Rockefeller, who began an entirely new career at age 51. At first blush his dream of building a railway south from Miami to Key West must seem foolish, but then to do big things one must dream big things, and HMF did dream
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big. Florida would eventually have been exploited but no one would have thought of a railway going to sea. One huge hurricane nearly ended it and another 29 years later did finish it. But what a dream. Show Less
LibraryThing member keywestnan
This is the best single-volume account of two epic events. The first was the building of the Overseas Railway that connected the Florida Keys to the mainland. Finished in 1912, it was the final effort from Standard Oil and Florida East Coast Railroad magnate Henry Flagler. The second was the Labor
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Day Hurricane of 1935 that destroyed the railroad and killed more than 400 people in the Keys, many of them destitute World War I veterans who were working on a highway parallel to the railroad. The consequences and visible after-effects of both events are still visible today in the Keys. It's quite a tale and one Standiford tells very well and with admirable economy. Show Less
LibraryThing member hermit
This is one history book you will not want to put down. Les Staniford has done a wonderful job of giving us a brief background on Henry Flagler and his drive to tame Florida. Mr. Flagler was the partner of John D. Rockefeller and instrumental in the formation and success of the Standard Oil
Living on both the East Coast of Florida and Lower Matecumbe Key I knew quite a lot about the railroad that Mr. Flagler built over the ocean and the famous Breakers Hotel. I use too love looking at the parts of the railroad that still stood over the water and paralleled the road that now goes to key west. Of course some of the railway was actually used to build some bridges for the highway. All who live here know of the great effort needed to build this over ocean railroad and of the horrible disaster that befell its work crew. But Standiford introduced me to new material I was not aware of and very pleased to learn.
The high standards and drive that we learn about in this book showed Mr. Flagler in a different light. Work was his life, but instead of just making money as he did with Standard Oil, with the Florida East Coast Railway he founded and was a driving force in building a State. I was not aware of the number of our famous cities that he caused to be developed that thrive to this day.
The author entices us into watching the drive of this man as he carves out a railroad line and cities where none existed and no one would ever consider going. We even get to read where Hemingway becomes part of the railroad history at its end. This nonfiction account of the construction of the railroad that would span 150 miles of ocean and terminate in Key West will be very hard to put down. So be prepared to read the entire book!
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Company. This driven self-made man after a very successful career of hard work did not go off to enjoy the fruits of his labors in retirement. Instead he started a second career in as a railroad man, luxury hotelier and land developer. And he did all this in a wilderness no one wanted to go too or thought could be used.Living on both the East Coast of Florida and Lower Matecumbe Key I knew quite a lot about the railroad that Mr. Flagler built over the ocean and the famous Breakers Hotel. I use too love looking at the parts of the railroad that still stood over the water and paralleled the road that now goes to key west. Of course some of the railway was actually used to build some bridges for the highway. All who live here know of the great effort needed to build this over ocean railroad and of the horrible disaster that befell its work crew. But Standiford introduced me to new material I was not aware of and very pleased to learn.
The high standards and drive that we learn about in this book showed Mr. Flagler in a different light. Work was his life, but instead of just making money as he did with Standard Oil, with the Florida East Coast Railway he founded and was a driving force in building a State. I was not aware of the number of our famous cities that he caused to be developed that thrive to this day.
The author entices us into watching the drive of this man as he carves out a railroad line and cities where none existed and no one would ever consider going. We even get to read where Hemingway becomes part of the railroad history at its end. This nonfiction account of the construction of the railroad that would span 150 miles of ocean and terminate in Key West will be very hard to put down. So be prepared to read the entire book!
Show Less
LibraryThing member cjordan916
Last Train to Paradise is acclaimed novelist Les Standiford’s fast-paced and gripping true account of the extraordinary construction and spectacular demise of the Key West Railroad—one of the greatest engineering feats ever undertaken, destroyed in one fell swoop by the strongest storm ever to
In 1904, the brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler, partner to John D. Rockefeller and the true mastermind behind Standard Oil, concocted the dream of a railway connecting the island of Key West to the Florida mainland, crossing a staggering 153 miles of open ocean—an engineering challenge beyond even that of the Panama Canal.
“The financiers considered the project and said, Unthinkable. The engineers pondered the problems and from all came one verdict, Impossible. . . .” But build it they did, and the railroad stood as a magnificent achievement for twenty-two years. Once dismissed as “Flagler’s Folly,” it was heralded as “the Eighth Wonder of the World”—until a will even greater than Flagler’s rose up in opposition. In 1935, a hurricane of exceptional force, which would be dubbed “the Storm of the Century,” swept through the tiny islands, killing some 700 residents and workmen and washing away all but one sixty-foot section of track, on which a 320,000-pound railroad engine stood and “gripped its rails as if the gravity of Jupiter were pressing upon it.” Standiford brings the full force and fury of this storm to terrifying life.
In spinning his saga of the railroad’s construction, Standiford immerses us in the treacherous world of the thousands of workers who beat their way through infested swamps, lived in fragile tent cities on barges anchored in the midst of daunting stretches of ocean, and suffered from a remarkable succession of three ominous hurricanes that killed many and washed away vast stretches of track. Steadfast through every setback, Flagler inspired a loyalty in his workers so strong that even after a hurricane dislodged one of the railroad’s massive pilings, casting doubt over the viability of the entire project, his engineers refused to be beaten. The question was no longer “Could it be done?” but “Can we make it to Key West on time?” to allow Flagler to ride the rails of his dream.
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hit U.S. shores. In 1904, the brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler, partner to John D. Rockefeller and the true mastermind behind Standard Oil, concocted the dream of a railway connecting the island of Key West to the Florida mainland, crossing a staggering 153 miles of open ocean—an engineering challenge beyond even that of the Panama Canal.
“The financiers considered the project and said, Unthinkable. The engineers pondered the problems and from all came one verdict, Impossible. . . .” But build it they did, and the railroad stood as a magnificent achievement for twenty-two years. Once dismissed as “Flagler’s Folly,” it was heralded as “the Eighth Wonder of the World”—until a will even greater than Flagler’s rose up in opposition. In 1935, a hurricane of exceptional force, which would be dubbed “the Storm of the Century,” swept through the tiny islands, killing some 700 residents and workmen and washing away all but one sixty-foot section of track, on which a 320,000-pound railroad engine stood and “gripped its rails as if the gravity of Jupiter were pressing upon it.” Standiford brings the full force and fury of this storm to terrifying life.
In spinning his saga of the railroad’s construction, Standiford immerses us in the treacherous world of the thousands of workers who beat their way through infested swamps, lived in fragile tent cities on barges anchored in the midst of daunting stretches of ocean, and suffered from a remarkable succession of three ominous hurricanes that killed many and washed away vast stretches of track. Steadfast through every setback, Flagler inspired a loyalty in his workers so strong that even after a hurricane dislodged one of the railroad’s massive pilings, casting doubt over the viability of the entire project, his engineers refused to be beaten. The question was no longer “Could it be done?” but “Can we make it to Key West on time?” to allow Flagler to ride the rails of his dream.
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LibraryThing member caroren
In Last Train to Paradise novelist Les Standiford has written a lively, felicitous account of the building of the Florida East Coast Railway, which, for a little over two decades, connected mainland Florida with Key West. Henry Morrison Flagler, John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil partner and, in
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many eyes, the true genius behind that company, embarked on the project in 1905 when he was 74 years old. The railroad, which crossed more than 150 miles of open sea, was an engineering feat nearly equal in scale and difficulty to the digging of the Panama Canal. Standiford's narrative skillfully blends tales of construction perils (not the least of which were escadrilles of mosquitoes) with brief, illuminating travelogues and natural histories, pocket descriptions of life in early 20th-century Florida, and a truly gripping description of an epic standoff between Mother Nature, in the form of a monstrous hurricane, and a stalled, 160-ton steam locomotive. With nary a single missed note, this fascinating tale is popular history at its best. Show Less
LibraryThing member DowntownLibrarian
A terrific book about one of Florida's founders - history as adventure!
LibraryThing member jbarouch
This is a great read for all you Floridians, and snowbirds, who owe at least a little gratitude to Henry Flagler, for 'trailblazing' South Florida, and helping to make it as much a paradise (perhaps lost) as he did approx 100 years ago.
LibraryThing member ecw0647
Frankly, I have no idea how I ran across this very interesting book. Henry Flagler, one of the last great industrialists and oil barons, built a railroad across the Florida Keys, a feat that had been considered impossible, in order to capitalize on the proximity of Cuba to the nascent Panama Canal.
Unbeknownst to him, just to the north, the barometer had fallen to the lowest ever recorded. The islands of the Florida Keys are not very high above the water, making them especially vulnerable to storms and waves. Despite this knowledge, Henry Flagler had built the dream extension of his railroad in a magnificent feat of engineering. Nature was about to suggest that he shouldn't have bothered. Considering that Flagler in 1898 was sixtyeight years old and could have easily retired to a luxurious existence, it is even more remarkable that he would have risked his fortune on such a risky venture. The Spanish-American War, which cost Spain Cuba, provided the added incentive he needed. (It is interesting to speculate what might have happened had William Jennings Bryan been elected president instead of McKinley, who was a great friend to business. Bryan, I suspect, would not have been drawn into the skullduggery behind the sinking of the Maine.)
Having been thwarted in his desire to build a deep-water port in Miami, Flagler deemed Key West a logical alternative. The engineering difficulties were staggering. Special dredges on boats were designed to carve out a way for themselves as they used the material pulled from the swamps and marshes to create the roadbed. Mosquitoes swarmed all during the day, and portending the disaster that was to befall the railroad in 1935, a hurricane killed many workers in 1906 as the special dormitory barges were smashed. Several long bridges had to span many miles of ocean, and the seven-mile viaduct, considered a beautiful structure, became the symbol of the Florida East Coast Railroad. The Keys, originally an unbroken stretch of land that connected present-day Florida to Mexico are simply the vestigial remains of that land bridge subject to eons of erosion and storms — unless, of course, you are a young earth advocate in which case it was five minutes. That is a problem for builders because storms continue to push walls of water twenty to thirty feet high in front of them. These storm surges would course through the natural passageways that had been cut between the remaining land forms. Any blockage of these waterways would cause tremendous problems.
The railroad builders, who had filled in shorter distances between land areas, were creating unnatural dikes. They were swept away in the first hurricane to batter the railroad in 1909. Flagler and his engineers revised their plans and built more bridges that permitted water to flow underneath rather than impede its flow. They also discovered that the natural limestone marl made a much better substrate than imported rock and gravel, which was easily washed away. The line was completed slightly ahead of schedule despite several setbacks and shortly before Flagler's death. It had cost him most of his fortune to build, but never made money. Instead of encouraging growth on the Keys, there is evidence it might have done the opposite. Many residents chose to leave the islands and migrated to Miami on the railroad. Traffic from Cuba never amounted to much, and by 1930 the Census Bureau reported that Key West had actually lost more than seven thousand residents.
The worst hurricane in United States history, on Labor Day 1935, washed everything away. Winds in excess of 200 mph were measured. Given that the winds in only 3 percent of tornadoes exceed 206 mph you can get an idea of the devastation caused on a series of islands that were barely above sea level. ("A minimal 75-mile-per-hour storm has the capability of propelling a shard of two-by-four lumber through a four-inch concrete block wall." Bear in mind that when wind speed doubles, its force quadruples. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 produced only 155 mph winds.) Weather forecasting was still in its infancy, but the railroad, given its earlier experience with hurricanes, had implemented several measures to help provide some warning. Nevertheless, loss of life was extensive and an emergency relief train sent to take people off the keys was blown away. The well-built bridges survived, indeed they were partly used to build the highway that now links the Keys to the mainland, but the railroad was bankrupt by then, and the rights-of-way were sold to the state for not even one-twentieth of the $30 million Flagler had spent on building the Keys Extension. His chain of world-class resorts still remains as a monument to the man who virtually created Florida.
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He had already virtually built the state of Florida by buying and developing land all along the east coast, then linking his hotel properties via rail. His Key West Railroad, an extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad, would connect Miami to Key West, about 153 miles, much of it over open water. A massive hurricane in 1935 undid it all. The Weather Bureau did not begin naming hurricanes until 1953, so in 1935 as Hemingway viewed the sketchy forecasts and storm warnings with alarm, he had no way of referring to the specific storm that was about to destroy Key West. Unbeknownst to him, just to the north, the barometer had fallen to the lowest ever recorded. The islands of the Florida Keys are not very high above the water, making them especially vulnerable to storms and waves. Despite this knowledge, Henry Flagler had built the dream extension of his railroad in a magnificent feat of engineering. Nature was about to suggest that he shouldn't have bothered. Considering that Flagler in 1898 was sixtyeight years old and could have easily retired to a luxurious existence, it is even more remarkable that he would have risked his fortune on such a risky venture. The Spanish-American War, which cost Spain Cuba, provided the added incentive he needed. (It is interesting to speculate what might have happened had William Jennings Bryan been elected president instead of McKinley, who was a great friend to business. Bryan, I suspect, would not have been drawn into the skullduggery behind the sinking of the Maine.)
Having been thwarted in his desire to build a deep-water port in Miami, Flagler deemed Key West a logical alternative. The engineering difficulties were staggering. Special dredges on boats were designed to carve out a way for themselves as they used the material pulled from the swamps and marshes to create the roadbed. Mosquitoes swarmed all during the day, and portending the disaster that was to befall the railroad in 1935, a hurricane killed many workers in 1906 as the special dormitory barges were smashed. Several long bridges had to span many miles of ocean, and the seven-mile viaduct, considered a beautiful structure, became the symbol of the Florida East Coast Railroad. The Keys, originally an unbroken stretch of land that connected present-day Florida to Mexico are simply the vestigial remains of that land bridge subject to eons of erosion and storms — unless, of course, you are a young earth advocate in which case it was five minutes. That is a problem for builders because storms continue to push walls of water twenty to thirty feet high in front of them. These storm surges would course through the natural passageways that had been cut between the remaining land forms. Any blockage of these waterways would cause tremendous problems.
The railroad builders, who had filled in shorter distances between land areas, were creating unnatural dikes. They were swept away in the first hurricane to batter the railroad in 1909. Flagler and his engineers revised their plans and built more bridges that permitted water to flow underneath rather than impede its flow. They also discovered that the natural limestone marl made a much better substrate than imported rock and gravel, which was easily washed away. The line was completed slightly ahead of schedule despite several setbacks and shortly before Flagler's death. It had cost him most of his fortune to build, but never made money. Instead of encouraging growth on the Keys, there is evidence it might have done the opposite. Many residents chose to leave the islands and migrated to Miami on the railroad. Traffic from Cuba never amounted to much, and by 1930 the Census Bureau reported that Key West had actually lost more than seven thousand residents.
The worst hurricane in United States history, on Labor Day 1935, washed everything away. Winds in excess of 200 mph were measured. Given that the winds in only 3 percent of tornadoes exceed 206 mph you can get an idea of the devastation caused on a series of islands that were barely above sea level. ("A minimal 75-mile-per-hour storm has the capability of propelling a shard of two-by-four lumber through a four-inch concrete block wall." Bear in mind that when wind speed doubles, its force quadruples. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 produced only 155 mph winds.) Weather forecasting was still in its infancy, but the railroad, given its earlier experience with hurricanes, had implemented several measures to help provide some warning. Nevertheless, loss of life was extensive and an emergency relief train sent to take people off the keys was blown away. The well-built bridges survived, indeed they were partly used to build the highway that now links the Keys to the mainland, but the railroad was bankrupt by then, and the rights-of-way were sold to the state for not even one-twentieth of the $30 million Flagler had spent on building the Keys Extension. His chain of world-class resorts still remains as a monument to the man who virtually created Florida.
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LibraryThing member slug9000
I want to give this book 4.25 stars, but since that is not an option, I am rounding down to 4. I had a few issues with the book, but it was still a very interesting and (mostly) captivating book about a subject that could otherwise be dry. The book has a brisk pace and isn't very long. It is also
I am not a railroad buff, but this book was still an interesting look at the history of Key West, the development of the Florida economy, tremendous feats of civil engineering, and the growth of the rail industry in an era of almost no regulation and unchecked wealth.
Two issues that I have with the book: First, some of the sections on the building of the brides to connect to the Keys were a little boring and slightly tedious, but not so much that I ever felt like giving up. Second, I thought the author was a little bit too flattering in his portrait of Flagler. There were a few instances where the author, given a lack of accurate documentation, made some guesses about the way Flagler treated his employees or the way he went about his business. It seems a little ambitious to assume that Flagler was as fair and even-handed in his business dealings as the author suggests at a few points in the book, given the era's notoriety for worker, environmental, and financial exploitation. Still, besides those few sections, the author does cite his sources extensively and the bulk of his portrayal of Flagler seems to be supported by good research.
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truly focused on Henry Flagler's railroad to Key West. The book gave background information on Flagler, his life, his tenure at Standard Oil, and his dealings up to the point of deciding to embark on the Key West extension, but all of it contributed to our understanding of Flagler and his railroad, and none of it was a distraction. I have found that with other "micro-histories," authors can tend to become bogged down in lengthy background information and mostly-irrelevant side stories, but that was not the case here. While this book is a mini Flagler biography, the author provides enough background info, plus citations of more exhaustive biographies, and focuses in on the Key West extension. I am not a railroad buff, but this book was still an interesting look at the history of Key West, the development of the Florida economy, tremendous feats of civil engineering, and the growth of the rail industry in an era of almost no regulation and unchecked wealth.
Two issues that I have with the book: First, some of the sections on the building of the brides to connect to the Keys were a little boring and slightly tedious, but not so much that I ever felt like giving up. Second, I thought the author was a little bit too flattering in his portrait of Flagler. There were a few instances where the author, given a lack of accurate documentation, made some guesses about the way Flagler treated his employees or the way he went about his business. It seems a little ambitious to assume that Flagler was as fair and even-handed in his business dealings as the author suggests at a few points in the book, given the era's notoriety for worker, environmental, and financial exploitation. Still, besides those few sections, the author does cite his sources extensively and the bulk of his portrayal of Flagler seems to be supported by good research.
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LibraryThing member etxgardener
As Carl Hiaasem talks about in his comic thrillers, Florida has long been home to disreputable developers, business shysters and other unsavory characters who have raped the lush landscape of the state for fun and profit, and no one's name is more connected to Florida's notorious business practices
Flagler who was John D. Rockefeller's partner in Standard Oil of Ohio (and also the author of that company's most notorious business practices) fell under the spell of Florida in the early years of the twentieth century and proceeded to make building a railroad line to Key West his life's obsession.
Long called "Flagler's Folly" he refused to let heat, disease or multiple hurricanes deter him from his dream of extending rail service from Miami to the southernmost edge of the United States. The railway came into existence after many years of effort, but Flagler's dreams of making Key West the country's major deep water port did not.And when in 1935 a devastating hurricane destroyed the railroad once and for all, all that was left of Flagler's dream were a few Ozymandias-like remnants of his efforts.
Today Florida's fragile environment is still under assault from rapacious developers who disregard the land in favor of quick profits. MAybe they should read this book and then think twice before starting the bulldozers on yet another dubious development.
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than Henry Flager who not only built a hotel empire in Florida and almost single-handedly built Miami and Palm Beach, but also built an improbably railroads line from Miami to Key West.Flagler who was John D. Rockefeller's partner in Standard Oil of Ohio (and also the author of that company's most notorious business practices) fell under the spell of Florida in the early years of the twentieth century and proceeded to make building a railroad line to Key West his life's obsession.
Long called "Flagler's Folly" he refused to let heat, disease or multiple hurricanes deter him from his dream of extending rail service from Miami to the southernmost edge of the United States. The railway came into existence after many years of effort, but Flagler's dreams of making Key West the country's major deep water port did not.And when in 1935 a devastating hurricane destroyed the railroad once and for all, all that was left of Flagler's dream were a few Ozymandias-like remnants of his efforts.
Today Florida's fragile environment is still under assault from rapacious developers who disregard the land in favor of quick profits. MAybe they should read this book and then think twice before starting the bulldozers on yet another dubious development.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BetsyRick
Very good read! Can't wait to go there and ride on the road where the railroad used tombe.
LibraryThing member cjordan916
Last Train to Paradise is acclaimed novelist Les Standiford’s fast-paced and gripping true account of the extraordinary construction and spectacular demise of the Key West Railroad—one of the greatest engineering feats ever undertaken, destroyed in one fell swoop by the strongest storm ever to
In 1904, the brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler, partner to John D. Rockefeller and the true mastermind behind Standard Oil, concocted the dream of a railway connecting the island of Key West to the Florida mainland, crossing a staggering 153 miles of open ocean—an engineering challenge beyond even that of the Panama Canal.
“The financiers considered the project and said, Unthinkable. The engineers pondered the problems and from all came one verdict, Impossible. . . .” But build it they did, and the railroad stood as a magnificent achievement for twenty-two years. Once dismissed as “Flagler’s Folly,” it was heralded as “the Eighth Wonder of the World”—until a will even greater than Flagler’s rose up in opposition. In 1935, a hurricane of exceptional force, which would be dubbed “the Storm of the Century,” swept through the tiny islands, killing some 700 residents and workmen and washing away all but one sixty-foot section of track, on which a 320,000-pound railroad engine stood and “gripped its rails as if the gravity of Jupiter were pressing upon it.” Standiford brings the full force and fury of this storm to terrifying life.
In spinning his saga of the railroad’s construction, Standiford immerses us in the treacherous world of the thousands of workers who beat their way through infested swamps, lived in fragile tent cities on barges anchored in the midst of daunting stretches of ocean, and suffered from a remarkable succession of three ominous hurricanes that killed many and washed away vast stretches of track. Steadfast through every setback, Flagler inspired a loyalty in his workers so strong that even after a hurricane dislodged one of the railroad’s massive pilings, casting doubt over the viability of the entire project, his engineers refused to be beaten. The question was no longer “Could it be done?” but “Can we make it to Key West on time?” to allow Flagler to ride the rails of his dream.
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hit U.S. shores. In 1904, the brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler, partner to John D. Rockefeller and the true mastermind behind Standard Oil, concocted the dream of a railway connecting the island of Key West to the Florida mainland, crossing a staggering 153 miles of open ocean—an engineering challenge beyond even that of the Panama Canal.
“The financiers considered the project and said, Unthinkable. The engineers pondered the problems and from all came one verdict, Impossible. . . .” But build it they did, and the railroad stood as a magnificent achievement for twenty-two years. Once dismissed as “Flagler’s Folly,” it was heralded as “the Eighth Wonder of the World”—until a will even greater than Flagler’s rose up in opposition. In 1935, a hurricane of exceptional force, which would be dubbed “the Storm of the Century,” swept through the tiny islands, killing some 700 residents and workmen and washing away all but one sixty-foot section of track, on which a 320,000-pound railroad engine stood and “gripped its rails as if the gravity of Jupiter were pressing upon it.” Standiford brings the full force and fury of this storm to terrifying life.
In spinning his saga of the railroad’s construction, Standiford immerses us in the treacherous world of the thousands of workers who beat their way through infested swamps, lived in fragile tent cities on barges anchored in the midst of daunting stretches of ocean, and suffered from a remarkable succession of three ominous hurricanes that killed many and washed away vast stretches of track. Steadfast through every setback, Flagler inspired a loyalty in his workers so strong that even after a hurricane dislodged one of the railroad’s massive pilings, casting doubt over the viability of the entire project, his engineers refused to be beaten. The question was no longer “Could it be done?” but “Can we make it to Key West on time?” to allow Flagler to ride the rails of his dream.
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LibraryThing member alco261
Last Train to Paradise is a combination biography of Henry Flagler and a history of what amounted to a one man founding/development of the principle east coast cities of Florida courtesy of his efforts to expand the reach of his railroad, the Florida East Coast (FEC), from the Georgia/Florida
It was the Key West Extension from Miami down to Key West that set the FEC apart from other U.S. railroads and it was that extension for which the railroad is best remembered today. The extension was anchored by, and connected to, various tiny scraps of islands in the Florida Keys. However, it was the effort needed to bridge the channels between the various Keys, including the spectacular seven mile bridge across open ocean between Marathon and Bahia Honda, that makes the story of Mr. Flagler and his railroad both interesting and unique.
The Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad was begun in 1904, completed in 1912, and met its end courtesy of the Category 5 hurricane of 1935. The Extension did not turn out to be the generator of anticipated revenue from Central and South America and no attempt was made to rebuild it after the 1935 storm. The right-of-way eventually became the roadbed for the Highway US1 from Miami to Key West. The FEC railroad still exists as a regional railroad in Florida.
I enjoyed reading the book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in U.S. history.
(Text Length - 259 pages, Total Length - 272 pages. Includes 16 pages of photographs, table of contents, author’s note, bibliography, and an index) (Book Dimensions inches L x W x H – 5.75 x 1 x 9.5)
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border down to Key West. The book is well written and Mr. Standiford does an excellent job of providing the reader with an understanding of Mr. Flagler, the development of the FEC, and the trials and tribulations of the massive undertaking of building a railroad out across the ocean to Key West. It was the Key West Extension from Miami down to Key West that set the FEC apart from other U.S. railroads and it was that extension for which the railroad is best remembered today. The extension was anchored by, and connected to, various tiny scraps of islands in the Florida Keys. However, it was the effort needed to bridge the channels between the various Keys, including the spectacular seven mile bridge across open ocean between Marathon and Bahia Honda, that makes the story of Mr. Flagler and his railroad both interesting and unique.
The Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad was begun in 1904, completed in 1912, and met its end courtesy of the Category 5 hurricane of 1935. The Extension did not turn out to be the generator of anticipated revenue from Central and South America and no attempt was made to rebuild it after the 1935 storm. The right-of-way eventually became the roadbed for the Highway US1 from Miami to Key West. The FEC railroad still exists as a regional railroad in Florida.
I enjoyed reading the book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in U.S. history.
(Text Length - 259 pages, Total Length - 272 pages. Includes 16 pages of photographs, table of contents, author’s note, bibliography, and an index) (Book Dimensions inches L x W x H – 5.75 x 1 x 9.5)
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LibraryThing member debann6354
Last Train to Paradise was a mesmerizing read. I have been a Florida resident for more than 30 years but mostly on the west coast and was not aware of the ill-fated railroad between Miami and Key West. Les Standiford has given us a detailed history of the difficulties of building the train, what
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with so many islands, so many hurricanes and so many mosquitos. The book is not a biography of Henry Flagler but Standiford gives us enough facts that we end up with understanding Flagler's entrepreneurial drive to complete his pet project. I definitely would recommend Last Train to Paradise to anyone who wants to know about a slice of local history that is not known to most of us. Show Less
LibraryThing member JoniMFisher
The historic, astounding venture to build a railroad from South Florida to Key West reads like an action thriller. Thank you, Les Standiford, for making history come alive!
LibraryThing member ikeman100
I continue to enjoy Standiford's thriller novels but this is the first of his factual books I have read. If you like turn of the 20th century history and the age of the robber barons then this is for you. Interesting history.
LibraryThing member LindaLoretz
Last Train to Paradise is the story of Henry Flagler, an American industrialist best known as a founder of Standard Oil. He also played a part in popularizing Florida as a tourist attraction since he had a pivotal role in extending railroad lines to Florida cities. By building luxury hotels in
The press called the Key West project “Flagler’s Folly.” Standiford includes many gruesome descriptions of the working conditions and the lives lost during the bridge’s building to and through the keys. The labor pool for the actual work included unemployed northerners and people from the islands. Many workers were unaccustomed to the humidity, heat, storms, and insects common in Florida. The workcamps that he set up for his workers were less than adequate, and Flagler dealt with workers who wanted to escape rather than work for low wages and risk getting sick and dying. Flagler contended with unfair labor practice claims, including a governmental investigation for slave-labor. His hiring practices would not pass muster today. Flagler would have been unable to forge ahead with his plan under the EPA with the dredging of lands and redesigning nature’s paths to accommodate bridges and roadbeds. In 1912, the overseas railroad to Key West was finished after about seven years of labor, including at least three hurricanes. Much of the railway was damaged or demolished in the hurricane of 1935. Parts of the old path can be viewed from today’s modern roadway leading through the keys.
The value of Flagler’s dreams and accomplishments is for the reader to decide.
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Jacksonville, Palm Beach, and Miami, he made vacationing in Florida attractive to his wealthy contemporaries such as Rockefeller. Although Standiford discusses Flagler’s wives and children, the main story is about his drive to build a Florida railroad. At first, the rail connected northern stations to Jacksonville and eventually to Palm Beach and Miami. But his vision was to connect the railroad lines “over the sea” so that the Florida Keys would be accessible by rail. He accomplished his goal by partnering with engineers and bridge builders, who shared his enthusiasm for risk-taking and accomplishment. The press called the Key West project “Flagler’s Folly.” Standiford includes many gruesome descriptions of the working conditions and the lives lost during the bridge’s building to and through the keys. The labor pool for the actual work included unemployed northerners and people from the islands. Many workers were unaccustomed to the humidity, heat, storms, and insects common in Florida. The workcamps that he set up for his workers were less than adequate, and Flagler dealt with workers who wanted to escape rather than work for low wages and risk getting sick and dying. Flagler contended with unfair labor practice claims, including a governmental investigation for slave-labor. His hiring practices would not pass muster today. Flagler would have been unable to forge ahead with his plan under the EPA with the dredging of lands and redesigning nature’s paths to accommodate bridges and roadbeds. In 1912, the overseas railroad to Key West was finished after about seven years of labor, including at least three hurricanes. Much of the railway was damaged or demolished in the hurricane of 1935. Parts of the old path can be viewed from today’s modern roadway leading through the keys.
The value of Flagler’s dreams and accomplishments is for the reader to decide.
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LibraryThing member garycornillaud
Good synopsis of building of the railway and the hurricane that destroyed it.
LibraryThing member Desiree_Reads
Excellent. Fascinating. Reads easy like a novel.
Subjects
Awards
Independent Publisher Book Awards (Gold — 2012)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
272 p.; 9.53 inches
ISBN
0609607480 / 9780609607480