Editing Key Largo (section)

==History==
When Europeans first arrived in the Florida Keys in the 16th century, the area was uninhabited or only sparsely inhabited by indigenous peoples such as the [[Calusa]] and the [[Tequesta]]. The earliest description of the area and its inhabitants was by [[Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda]], a survivor of a shipwreck who lived among the Calusa people from 1549 to 1566.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.pbmnh.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/P._Ferdinando__A_Translation_History_of_Fontaneda__2010.pdf|title=A Translation History of Fontaneda|author=Peter Ferdinando|journal=The Florida Historical Quarterly|volume=89| issue =  2|date=2010|pages=210–251|publisher=Florida Historical Society|jstor=29765167}}</ref> The earliest reference to Key Largo is found on a map prepared in 1639 by Dutch cartographer [[Johannes Vingboons]], in which it is named ''Caio des 12 Leguas'' (islet of twelve [[League (unit)|leagues]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4920.lh000300/?r=0.32,0.02,0.125,0.077,0|title =Map of the complete island of Cuba|website = [[Library of Congress]]}}</ref> Some time later, it was named ''Cayo Largo'' — meaning long islet — by Spanish explorers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://keys.fiu.edu/gazetteer/00000238.htm |title=Key Largo |date=3 September 2006 |website= |access-date=12 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060903000221/http://keys.fiu.edu/gazetteer/00000238.htm |archive-date=3 September 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1770, Dutch surveyor [[Bernard Romans]] reported that the area was uninhabited, although evidence was found that indigenous people visited the area from time to time.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://digitalcollections.fiu.edu/tequesta/files/1975/75_1_02.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2021-12-12 |archive-date=2020-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715051525/http://digitalcollections.fiu.edu/tequesta/files/1975/75_1_02.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> By the end of the [[Seminole Wars#Third Seminole War|Third Seminole War]] in 1858, the area was under control by the United States government, though it remained largely uninhabited. In 1870, a post office was established at "Cayo Largo" (in the current Rock Harbor area). It closed and another was opened called "Largo" in 1881. Additional post offices opened in Planter in 1891 and Aiken in 1895.<ref name= hkl>{{cite web|first=Jerry|last=Wilkinson|title= History of Key Largo|url=http://www.keyshistory.org/keylargo.html|website=Keyshistory.org|publisher=Historical Preservation Society of the Upper Keys|access-date=16 November 2017}}</ref>

The island gained fame as the setting for the 1948 film ''[[Key Largo (film)|Key Largo]]'', but apart from background filming used for establishing shots,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040506/locations|title=Key Largo Filming Locations|publisher=IMDb.com|access-date=2015-06-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://goflorida.about.com/cs/floridakeys/a/keys_keylargo.htm |title=The Florida Keys: Key Largo |publisher=Goflorida.about.com |access-date=2015-06-26 |archive-date=2015-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404075339/http://goflorida.about.com/cs/floridakeys/a/keys_keylargo.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> the film was shot on a [[Warner Bros.]] sound stage in Hollywood.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moviediva.com/MD_root/reviewpages/MDKeyLargo.htm |title=Key Largo |publisher=Moviediva.com |access-date=2015-06-26}}</ref>  After the film's success, pressure from local businesses resulted in a change in the name of the post office serving the northern part of the island, from "Rock Harbor" to "Key Largo", on June 1, 1952.  After that, every resident north of [[Tavernier, Florida|Tavernier]] had a Key Largo address and the postmark read "Key Largo".<ref>{{cite web|author=Jerry Wilkinson |url=http://www.keyshistory.org/keylargopage2.html |title=keylargopage2 |publisher=Keyshistory.org |access-date=2015-06-26}}</ref>