250 to 250: 96. Flagler’s Overseas Railway, Narrated by Sara Wiles

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Flagler’s Overseas Railway, Narrated by Sara Wiles

Sara Wiles of Half Hopeful is a Florida native, activist, and content creator who uses her platforms to help everyday people better understand, connect with, and act on the political issues shaping their lives and communities. Wiles tells how Henry Flagler defied his critics to build the "impossible" Overseas Railroad to Key West, transforming the future of Florida.

In the early 1900s, Henry Morrison Flagler wanted to build a railroad along Florida’s east coast.

• He wanted the railroad to go from Jacksonville to Key West.
• Many people thought the plan was impossible. They called it “Flagler’s Folly.”
• Building the railroad was very difficult. Workers had to build across 25 miles of open water.
• Three hurricanes also caused problems during construction.
• More than 4,000 workers helped build the railroad.
• Flagler spent more than $50 million on the project.
• In 1912, Flagler traveled by train into Key West.

People called the new railroad the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”

• The railroad helped Florida grow. It supported farming, tourism, and new communities.
• Flagler died in 1913.
• A powerful hurricane destroyed much of the railroad in 1935.
• Flagler’s railroad helped change Florida and remains an important part of the state’s history.
  

POP Interview and Quiz: 

• N-400 Part 8:1. Have you taken a trip outside of the United States in the last 5 years?
• USCIS 100:90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
• USCIS 128:118. Name one example of an American innovation.

Family Fun:

• Flagler County Historical Society: Railroads
• Flagler Museum: First Train to Paradise: The Railroad That Went to Sea
• Florida State Parks: The Flager Railroad
• Hudson Valley NMRA: Henry Flagler & His Overseas Railroad
• Keys Life: The Eighth Wonder of the World – Overseas Railroad
• KWAHS: Henry Flagler: Builder of the Overseas Railway timeline
• Monday Mandala: Train coloring pages
• Newspapers in Education: Flagler's Florida lesson plans
• South Florida PBS: Flagler's Train: The Florida Keys Over-sea Railroad