Misnamed key could become Scout

Developing Stories

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Misnamed key could become Scout

One local Boy Scout leader is on a mission to right a decades-old wrong.

West Summerland Key is not west of Summerland Key. The island at Mile Marker 34 is actually 10 miles east. Matthew Vercher, district director of the Boy Scouts of America's Monroe County chapter, wants the name of the Key changed so the island will be both geographically correct and reflect its scouting history.

"It was just named by someone who did not know how to read a compass, and that just does not fly with the Boy Scouts," Vercher said. "This has never been corrected."

Vercher, a full time West Summerland Key resident, has begun to lobby both the local and federal government to change the name to Scout Key, as it is home to two separate but adjoining scout camps -- Camp Sawyer Boy Scouts camp and Camp Wesumkee Girl Scouts camp.

Leave the name as it is!!!!

Submitted on Sun, 06/21/2009 - 8:48pm

Dammit, why do we have to keep renaming everything?!?! As has been pointed out by several others, it was NOT mis-named -- there's a reason it's called what it is called. And what if the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts someday are no longer using it? On a related subject, I really miss the sign which used to be on the northbound right side of US1 on Key Largo, which said "Key Largo Key". Now THAT was an apparent error, but was amusing... the error having been made by the Department of Redundency Department. And I still think the best name for the terminal at the KW airport would be Terminal A... or Terminal B if we wanted to mess with people's minds.

Name the key whatever you want...

Submitted on Sun, 06/21/2009 - 6:05pm

But please teach the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts history instead of speculation.

From a website provided by the Monroe County (FL) Public Library and Florida International University Digital Collections Center, this page describes ths Spanish Harbor Keys:
http://keys.fiu.edu/gazetteer/tr34.htm
Gerdes, in his "Reconnaissance of the Florida Reefs and all the Keys" (1849) states: "The three small islands next to the West from Bahia Honda Harbor are called Summerlands Islands or Kays." U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey chart #168, "Florida Reefs Long Key to Newfound Harbor Keys" (1863) shows Summerland Key.

Originally, there were three keys at this location. They were connected by fills at the time the Florida East Coast Railway Extension was built. The Keys were West Summerland Key (westernmost), Middle Summerland Key (center), and no name has yet been found for the easternmost key. West Summerland retains its name, but the other two are known simply as the Spanish Harbor Keys. Named for the anchorage located between this key and Big Pine Key.

Shouldn't have to tell Scouts this, but...

Submitted on Sun, 06/21/2009 - 2:51pm

West Summerland is not misnamed. There is no known connection between the naming of Summerland and West Summerland. West Summerland was formerly a separate island from Middle Summerland and other islands that ceased to exist before infill merged them when the railroad was built. The name is therefore an anachronism, but not incorrect.

Based on the stories out of the Boy Scouts of America these past

Submitted on Sun, 06/21/2009 - 1:06pm

10 yrs or so, I'm not sure we'd want to name a key after that organization.

Great Idea

Submitted on Sun, 06/21/2009 - 11:15am

I like the idea of naming Keys after their function. Big Pine Key could become Traffic Jam Key, Stock Island would be Trailer Park Key, Key Largo becomes Strip Mall Key, and Key West can be Corruption Key!

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