The Simonton Influence (Patreon)

When we chose NODAL POINTS as the name for our print zine project, our aim was to identify pivotal moments in history that created far-reaching consequences and trace the resulting flow of information wherever they lead. Occasionally, these nodal points surfaced in unexpected places, such as the surprising link between the revival of Western body piercing and the acquisition of Key West.

Doug Malloy, the patron of Jim Ward and undoubtedly of body piercing's place in modern popular culture, was known for his questionable histories, so take this with a grain of salt, but here you go:

"It’s funny how memory plays tricks on us. When I first started writing this article it seemed like Doug and I had made only one trip to Key West. But when I began looking through photos and examining the dates stamped on slide borders, I realized that we had actually made two trips to that sunny destination.... Doug had a personal connection to this Southeastern tip of the United States. He told me that the island might well have belonged to Cuba, but in 1821 an ancestor of his had purchased it thus making it part of the US." - Jim Ward (1)

Our history of a permanently settled island began on January 19, 1822 when John W. Simonton of Alabama purchased Key West from Juan Pablo Salas for the handsome sum of $2,000; the latter had acquired it as a Spanish Land Grant in 1815 for his service to the Spanish crown.  Since Florida was a new U.S. Territory the original Don Juan de Estrata Land Grant to Salas had to the confirmed - no U.S. deed could be granted.  Simonton was in a race to lay claim to the island against other individuals, but his tenacity paid off and he was finally given legal claim.Simonton soon took on three northern partners: John Whitehead, John Fleeming and Pardon Greene.  Simonton divided it up property amongst he and his three partners. These investors acknowledged that Key West’s natural deep water port was the deepest port between New Orleans and Norfolk, Virginia.- (2)

Photo: Sailor Sid Diller and Kinsey Maxell at the Southernmost Point of the Continental United States.

1. Running the Gauntlet excerpt from BME, Spreading the Word and Remembering Sailor Sid, March 29th, 2005

2. CELEBRATING 200 YEARS OF PERMANENT SETTLEMENT: A Brief Historical Timeline, https://www.keywest200th.com