Westworld Alberta

road trip Florida's Lost Railroad A coastal highway tracks a bygone Caribbean route over land and sea by Scott Messenger ON JANUARY 21, 1912, HENRY MORRISON FLAGLER boarded his private rail car in Palm Beach, Florida, for a history-making southbound jour- ney. The oil tycoon, hotel developer and rail magnate was 82. Seven years earlier, he'd decided to extend his existing Florida East Coast Railway from Miami – over land, swamp and open water – to Key West, terminus of the Florida Keys. On January 22, Flagler arrived in the island city to a hero's welcome. "My dream has been realized," he said to the assembled crowd. Though the Key West extension was lost to a hurricane in 1935, the railway sparked the transformation of a trop- ical wilderness into Flagler's vision of paradise: commerce, sunshine and palm trees. Follow the historic rail route for a stunning look at continental America's southernmost state. (top to bottom) Flagler's original trestle bridge in Bahia Honda State Park; Henry Flagler and his wife during the construction of the Key West extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad; The Breakers Palm Beach. LEG ONE:Palm Beach to Miami (145 km) Flagler left for Key West from Whitehall, a mansion of marble and gold in Palm Beach, where he and his wife wintered. Now known as Flagler Museum (One Whitehall Way, off Cocoanut Row), it houses original furnishings, Flagler's original railcar and other exhibits (561-655-2833; fl aglermuseum.us). But don't leave pretty Palm Beach with- out a look at another Flagler masterpiece, 18 WESTWORLD >> NOVEMBER 2011 The Breakers Palm Beach (888-273-2537; thebreakers.com). Turn left from Whitehall Way onto Cocoanut Row, right on Royal Poinciana Way and right again onto North County Road. The hotel is on the left. Modelled after Rome's Villa Medici and opened in 1926, The Breakers sits amid manicured tropical gardens, rows of ancient palms, a sparkling private beach and Florida's oldest 18-hole golf course. Splurge on a night's stay, or at least a bite at The Seafood Bar. From here, carry on along County Road, then turn left onto Royal Palm Way and right onto beach-bordered South Ocean Boulevard, which becomes the A1A and runs parallel to Flagler's tracks (still in use as a freight line). Follow the A1A to Miami through an unbroken chain of bustling resort towns. After passing the stunning, Mediterranean-inspired mansions south of Palm Beach, the road turns inland slightly, skirting cities that owe much to Flagler's efforts in the late 19th century. As it pushed south to Miami, the railroad gave rise to colourful, vibrant Delray Beach and brought agricultural pioneers to Boca Raton, now a ritzy city of Moorish architecture, palm trees and white beaches. It also sparked growth at Fort Lauderdale, known today as the Venice of America because of its canals. (top to bottom) FL Stock, Southern Photo Archives, Ilian Travels/All Canada Photos

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