Overseas Railroad Quiz: Flagler's Railway Across the Keys

This overseas railroad quiz rides Henry Flagler's daring line across the Florida Keys. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on the Florida East Coast Railway, the 1912 arrival in Key West, the nickname Eighth Wonder of the World, the Seven Mile Bridge, Pigeon Key's work camp, Bahia Honda's truss bridge, the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and the Overseas Highway.

Start Overseas Railroad Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Builder
Who built the Overseas Railroad?
Line
Which railway did it extend?
End
Which city did the railroad reach?
Year
When did the first train reach Key West?
Nickname
What was the railroad nicknamed?
Bridge
Which long bridge was a highlight of the route?
Camp
Which small key housed bridge workers?
Storm
What ended the railroad in 1935?
Highway
What replaced the railroad?
Truss
Which bridge kept its old truss with a road on top?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Who built the Overseas Railroad?
Answer: Henry Flagler
He was a Standard Oil partner.
Q2: Which railway did it extend?
Answer: Florida East Coast Railway
It ran down Florida's east coast.
Q3: Which city did the railroad reach?
Answer: Key West
It was the southern end of the line.
Q4: When did the first train reach Key West?
Answer: 1912
Flagler rode it at age 82.
Q5: What was the railroad nicknamed?
Answer: The Eighth Wonder of the World
It crossed miles of open water.
Q6: Which long bridge was a highlight of the route?
Answer: Seven Mile Bridge
It links the Middle and Lower Keys.
Q7: Which small key housed bridge workers?
Answer: Pigeon Key
It is now a museum.
Q8: What ended the railroad in 1935?
Answer: The Labor Day Hurricane
It was one of the strongest storms to hit the US.
Q9: What replaced the railroad?
Answer: The Overseas Highway
It opened in 1938.
Q10: Which bridge kept its old truss with a road on top?
Answer: Bahia Honda Bridge
Its deep water channel needed a tall truss.

Henry Flagler's Railway Across the Sea

Henry Flagler, a Standard Oil partner, extended his Florida East Coast Railway from the mainland across the Florida Keys to Key West. Many said it was impossible, but thousands of workers built viaducts and bridges over miles of open water, and the line was nicknamed the Eighth Wonder of the World.

On January 22, 1912, Flagler, then 82, rode the first train into Key West. Highlights included the original Seven Mile Bridge and the Long Key Viaduct. Workers lived at camps like Pigeon Key, and hurricanes during construction cost many lives.

The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, one of the strongest storms ever to hit the United States, wrecked parts of the line, and the railroad was not rebuilt. Its bridges were reused for the Overseas Highway, which opened in 1938. At Bahia Honda, the old truss still stands with a road once built on top.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

Who built the railroad
When it reached Key West
Which bridges mattered
What destroyed it
What replaced it

Did You Know?

The old Seven Mile Bridge is now a path for walkers and cyclists.
Flagler also built grand hotels in Florida.
Key West was Florida's largest city in the 1800s.
The railroad carried goods bound for Cuba.
Flagler died about a year after reaching Key West.