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Throughout
Monroe
County,
boaters
who
wish
to
travel
from
the
Atlantic
Ocean
to
Florida
Bay
usually
do
so
by
passing
through
one
of
the
many
natural
passageways
between
the
hundreds
of
islands
which
make
up
Monroe
County.
Monroe
County
has
been
labeled
a
"County
of
Islands."
There
is,
however,
one
waterway
that
is
an
exception.
It
lies
about
midway
of
Key
Largo
at
mile
marker
103.6.
Speeding
autos
on
highway
U.S.
1
pass
over
the
bridge
and
their
passengers
barely
notice
it.
However,
for
those
who
pass
through
it
in
a
small
boat,
it
is
a
different
feeling.
The
vertical
walls
rise
some
15
feet
straight
up.
If
the
ocean
tide
is
changing,
the
water
will
rush
past
them
almost
like
river
rapids.
Boaters
are
certain
this
passageway
has
been
intentionally
cut
through
the
island,
and
cut
it
actually
was.
For
many
of
us
in
our
hurry-up
way
of
life,
it
is
simply
a
short
cut
from
ocean
to
bay,
or
vice-versa.
Without
it,
one
would
have
to
travel
southwest
to
Tavernier
Creek
or
northeast
to
Angelfish
Creek
to
cross
over.
This
man-made
waterway
basically
reduces
the
distance
by
one-half.
Many
local
boaters
refer
to
it
as
"the
Cut."
Even
on
land,
when
referring
to
a
landmark
or
a
business
in
that
part
of
Key
Largo,
they
will
say,
"Go
one
mile
north
of
the
Cut
on
the
bay
side...",
or
"Go
just
on
the
other
side
of
the
Cut
and
turn
right...,"
etc.
Some
time
in
the
1920s,
after
the
opening
of
the
Panama
Canal
in
1915,
a
miniature
canal
across
Key
Largo
was
envisioned.
For
some
boaters,
going
around
the
long,
narrow
island
seemed
as
long
as
going
around
the
tip
of
South
America
did
for
larger
ships.
It
was
not
until
the
early
1950s
that
Marvin
Dow
Adams
took
the
challenge
seriously.
Marvin
Adams
came
to
Miami
in
1925
and
became
a
partner
in
an
insurance
business
as
well
as
real
estate.
From
a
newspaper
article
in
January
8,
1926,
he
was
the
sales
manager
for
F.
E.
Sweeting
who
developed
the
Anglers
Park
Subdivision.
In
the
early
50s,
he
purchased
50
acres
of
land
that
just
happened
to
contain
the
narrowest
stretch
of
land
across
Key
Largo
and
about
in
its
middle
also
part
of
Anglers
Park.
Its
width
was
about
a
half-mile
from
Blackwater
Sound
to
Largo
Sound.
It
also
crossed
the
high
coral
ridge
that
runs
the
length
of
the
island.
The
land,
about
15
feet
above
sea
level,
consisted
of
Key
Largo
Limestone.
Marvin
owned
the
land
and
the
dream
was
in
his
mind.
It
was
not
the
Panama
Canal,
but
a
major
undertaking
for
a
Miami
insurance
man,
besides
it
would
enhance
the
remaining
part
of
his
property.
Marvin
Adams
had
some
practical
knowledge
of
a
project
of
this
type
and
magnitude.
He
had
served
as
chairman
of
the
Florida
Turnpike
Authority,
and
knew
something
of
government
proceedings.
He
also
knew
that
a
study
of
necessity,
feasibility
and
costs
must
precede
the
start
of
work.
His
cost
estimates
came
back
as
$7,500
for
engineering
and
$690,000
for
digging,
excluding
the
highway
crossing.
This
seemed
a
bit
expensive
for
Adams.
Local
businessmen
Joe
Lance
and
then
President
of
the
Upper
Keys
Chamber
of
Commerce,
Van
Sweringen,
introduced
Marvin
to
Mathew
Bernard
Waldin,
owner
of
M.
B.
Waldin,
Inc.
"Barney"
Waldin
agreed
to
do
the
excavation
at
no
cost
providing
he
could
have
the
loose
material.
"Barney"
Waldin's
father
and
grandfather
had
come
from
Iowa
to
the
Keys
to
work
for
Henry
Flagler's
F.E.C.
Railway.
Both
were
aboard
quarterboat
Number
Four
when
the
1906
hurricane
struck.
It
washed
the
quarterboat
from
Long
Key
out
through
Hawk
Channel
and
into
the
open
sea
with
161
men
aboard.
His
father
was
picked
up
by
a
steamer
and
taken
to
Key
West;
his
grandfather
was
rescued
by
another
steamer
and
was
taken
to
Savannah.
While
in
Key
West
his
father
married
and
then
moved
to
Homestead.
Barney
was
born
in
Homestead
in
1916
and
married
Marjorie
Melhado
in
Key
West.
They
settled
on
Plantation
Key.
With
financial
aid
from
the
late
Arthur
Vining
Davis,
Barney
invented,
built
and
patented
a
machine
that
would
cut
deep
trenches
in
coral
rock.
The
machine
consisted
of
two
D-8
Caterpillar
diesels
mounted
one
on
top
of
the
other
at
right
angles.
The
lower
Caterpillar
would
propel
the
machine
forward
while
the
upper
Caterpillar
turned
a
rotating
track
with
tough
steel
cutting
blades
acting
as
a
saw.
A
conveyer
belt
carried
away
the
loose
material.
See
top
photo.
Barney's
machine
would
cut
a
trench
18
feet
deep
and
34
inches
wide
and
was
the
first
ever
to
cut
from
the
side,
as
opposed
to
the
middle.
Even
in
1956
there
were
a
few
permits
to
work
out.
Not
much
clearing
was
required,
as
there
was
already
an
existing
road
in
the
path
for
the
cut.
Still
the
Corps
of
Engineers
had
to
evaluate
the
land
ecology
and
water
disturbance
elements
at
both
ends.
The
U.S.
Coast
Guard
quickly
approved
of
the
concept.
They
thought
it
would
enhance
their
operations,
and
in
addition,
enable
small
craft
to
seek
hurricane
protection
from
ocean
to
bay
much
faster.
With
his
turnpike
experience,
Adams
had
little
trouble
with
the
Department
of
Transportation,
and
telephone/electric
utility
coordination.
The
major
stumbling
block
was
the
Seventh
Naval
District
in
Key
West
that
was
responsible
for
the
relatively
new
fresh
water
pipe
line.
Cutting
off
traffic
to
install
a
bridge
was
one
thing,
but
cutting
off
all
the
water
to
Key
West
and
re-piping
the
pipe
line
was
another.
However,
permission
was
finally
granted
and
the
problems
would
be
worked
out
when
the
time
came,
probably
on
the
assumption
that
the
project
would
never
happen.
All
systems
appeared
ready
for
The
Key
Largo
Waterway,
as
it
was
known
then.
Marvin
Adams
hired
Sheldon
Stewart
as
chief
engineer
and
Waldin
starting
digging
at
the
Blackwater
Sound
end.
He
began
just
far
enough
back
so
that
the
water
would
not
flood
the
channel.
His
plan
was
to
dig
two
parallel
trenches
100
feet
apart
and
dynamite
the
center
part.
Holes
were
drilled
32
feet
deep
to
set
dynamite
charges
to
loosen
the
coral.
His
drag
line
would
then
load
the
loose
fill
into
trucks
to
be
transported
to
local
fill
sites.
Only
the
side
walls
were
cut
with
the
trenching
machine.
The
depth
below
the
water
averages
about
25
feet.
Coral
rock
fill
was
selling
then
for
about
$1
a
cubic
yard.
An
immense
amount
of
fill
was
removed
and
used
throughout
Key
Largo.
Even
a
small
island
was
filled
in
the
northwest
corner
of
Largo
Sound,
and
connected
by
a
road
and
bridge
(Island
Drive).
A
year-and-a-half
was
needed
to
complete
the
half-mile
cut.
In
1958,
the
canal
stood
with
its
two
ends
plugged
and
a
full
section
intact
where
the
highway
and
utilities
passed
over.
Barney
had
completed
his
part
of
the
contract.
Alonzo
Cothron
was
contracted
to
finish
the
project.
Like
Barney,
Alonzo's
father
came
to
work
for
Henry
Flagler.
In
1909,
Reynolds
Cothron
worked
on
the
Niles
Channel
Bridge,
which
was
severely
damaged
by
the
1909
hurricane.
The
1910
census
shows
Reynolds
as
a
railroad
superintendent
at
Quarry
on
Windley
Key,
with
his
wife
Mary
and
eight
children.
The
1920
census
shows
the
Cothron
family
farming
on
Upper
Matecumbe.
Alonzo
was
then
16.
At
the
time
of
the
1935
hurricane,
Alonzo
was
working
with
H.
S.
McKenzie
of
Tavernier,
building
the
two-story
theater.
He
soon
became
the
largest
contractor
in
the
Middle
and
Upper
Keys.
To
complete
"The
Cut"
Alonzo
built
a
temporary
bridge
on
the
bayside
and
excavated
a
bridge
support
level
to
12
feet
below
water
level.
This
would
facilitate
easy
installation
of
the
supporting
columns
for
the
new
U.S.
1
highway
bridge
and
associated
utilities. 
The
final
touches
were
completed
in
1961,
the
plugs
at
the
ends
removed
and
the
Key
Largo
Waterway
opened
for
maritime
traffic
on
February
26.
Key
Largo
was
now
physically
two
islands.
Since
The
Cut
was
much
deeper
than
its
approaches,
there
were
still
permits
and
work
to
deepen
the
approach
channels
at
both
ends.
Twelve
years
later,
a
second
bridge
was
added
when
U.S.
1
was
four-laned;
however,
one
lane
was
a
little
lower
on
one
side
than
the
other.
FDOT
corrected
this
problem
and
added
foot-traffic
walkways
in
1992-1993.
In
a
1976
dedication
ceremony,
the
Key
Largo
Waterway
name
was
changed
and
John
Pennekamp
wrote
in
the
Miami
Herald:
"After
the
channel
had
been
cut
through
Key
Largo
some
years
ago,
Marvin
D.
Adams
commented,
'Fortunately
for
me
I
have,
more
through
luck
than
plan,
changed
the
face
of
the
earth
in
a
way
that
is
great
satisfaction
to
me.
That
I
will
be
remembered
for
this,
I
doubt.'"
He
was
wrong.
The
Monroe
County
Commission
renamed
the
cut
to
the
"Marvin
D.
Adams
Waterway,"
and
it
continues
to
serve
the
Upper
Keys
community.
It
could
be
the
second
most
significant
non-government
private
project,
the
railroad
being
the
first
in
our
Upper
Keys
history.
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