06/05/2026
🐍 Most locals know Snake Creek. Few know there was once a Snake Creek Key.
Historic maps and aerial photographs reveal that a second waterway, known as Little Snake Creek, once connected Florida Bay to the Atlantic Ocean just north of present-day Snake Creek.
Together, Snake Creek and Little Snake Creek bordered a separate island known as Snake Creek Key.
Over time, railroad construction and later road development altered the landscape, blocking Little Snake Creek and reconnecting Snake Creek Key to Plantation Key.
Today, homes, businesses, roads, and mangroves occupy land that was once open water.
And the story gets even better.
According to local historical accounts, the hidden ocean-side end of Little Snake Creek later became a favorite hiding place for Prohibition-era rum runners, who used secluded waters and mangrove cover while moving liquor through the Florida Keys.
Most people drive through this area every day without realizing they are crossing what was once a separate island.
But if you look closely at old maps, aerial photographs, and even modern satellite imagery, traces of Little Snake Creek can still be seen hiding in plain sight.
📍Do you remember exploring this area by boat, kayak, or on foot? Have you heard any old stories about Snake Creek, Snake Creek Key, or Little Snake Creek? We'd love to hear them.
Sources: Historical maps and aerial imagery, including research by Florida Keys historian Jerry Wilkinson (Keyshistory.org), the 1905 F.E.C. Railway survey map, 1935 nautical charts, and 1947 aerial photography documenting Little Snake Creek and Snake Creek Key.
