Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean

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Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean

by Les Standiford, Henry Morrison Flagler

3.77 · rating details · 213 ratings · 64 reviews

Last Train to Paradise is acclaimed novelist Les Standiford’s fast-paced and gripping true account of the extraordinary construction and spectacular demise of the Key West Railroad—one of the greatest engineering feats ever undertaken, destroyed in one fell swoop by the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. Brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler’s dream fulfilled, the Key ...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published August 5th 2003 by Three Rivers Press (first published 2002)

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Mar 29, 2009

Bill Hall rated it

Shelves: history

"Last Train to Paradise" is popular history at its best. This is the story of an era that is no more--a time when one man with unlimited resources, and more importantly, unlimited vision could accomplish something wondrous. Henry M. Flager, who co-founded Standard Oil with John Rockefeller, left his active role in the company 15 years after its birth to pursue his new passion: building the modern state of Florida. At the heart of this book is Flager's drive to see the Key West Railroad...more

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Jan 02, 2012

Winnie rated it

An amazing story of Henry Flagler and how he got started. He had an 8th grade education and left home at age 14. I lived in Jacksonville, FL for 16 years and about all I knew about Flagler was Flagler College in St. Augustine. I did not know that Flagler was one of the owners of Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller. In fact, Rockefeller after having met Flagler in the 1860s needed capital to invest in his new oil refining venture and he asked Flagler for capital and they became pa...more

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Feb 12, 2011

Jennifer rated it

· review of another edition

This was an easy, informative read. I've always wanted to read about Henry Flagler since my first, of many, trips to the Keys and St. Augustine. In particular, I've always been interested in the story of his second marriage to the wife who supposedly went nuts.
This book didn't sensationalize anything, which is ok by me. On the whole, the emotion of the book was pretty flat except for the stories about the hurricane of 1935 and its devastation. Because of the personal stories in that po...more

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Jun 28, 2009

Krista rated it

I wanted this book to be more but I blame my disappointment not on the book itself but on the fact that I read it directly after finishing Grunwald's fine tome "The Swamp," which blew my little mind. In "Last Train," Standiford tells the story of how Henry Flagler, the financial brains behind Rockefeller's Standard Oil, sunk much of his fortune into developing Florida and building a railroad down the east coast and across the ocean from the mainland to Key West. But having ...moreI wanted this book to be more but I blame my disappointment not on the book itself but on the fact that I read it directly after finishing Grunwald's fine tome "The Swamp," which blew my little mind. In "Last Train," Standiford tells the story of how Henry Flagler, the financial brains behind Rockefeller's Standard Oil, sunk much of his fortune into developing Florida and building a railroad down the east coast and across the ocean from the mainland to Key West. But having just read "The Swamp," I am in a mindset that southern Florida should never have been developed to the level that it has been; it just cannot sustain the population that now lives there. This is not Flagler's fault; he did not build all the cookie-cutter Miami burbs in the middle of the swamp and turn southern Florida into a hellscape of concrete and strip malls. But his railroad created Miami; and Palm Springs; and the whole east coast of southern Florida. It brought people to paradise. And they stayed. Too many of them stayed. And they built what they built. And they're running out of water and nature is disappearing. And what now?

But all of those concerns aside, the book itself is inherently readable. A bit heavy on the Flagler-as-hero; Standiford finds few character flaws in the man, if any. I wanted a little more about the people; a little more in-depth biography of the engineers who sacrificed, and even died, to see Flagler's dream achieved. A little more about the societies Flagler's project created. I wanted an anthropological study of the culture Flagler created. Standiford gives a play-by-play of how the rails were built.

There is no doubt that the railroad was a engineering feat of monumental magnitude. And having seen the bridges that still stand and imagining a day when you could get on the Havana Express in New York, arrive in Key West and immediately board a steamship for a short jaunt to Cuba gave me the requisite chills.

I picked this up because I was curious about the era but there's very little here to assuage my curiosity; very little tangible atmosphere. A disappointment, moreso, given how Standiford starts the book, with a description of driving US Highway 1. His sense of place and how he communicates it to the reader is exquisite in this section.

"It's an osprey's-eye view here at MM 84, out over the patchwork-colored seas. Splashes of cobalt, turquoise, amber, beige, and gray alternate, then fall away to deeper blue and steel, and off toward a pale horizon where sky and water meet at a juncture that's almost seamless on the brightest days ... the urge begins to creep in the back of the traveler's mind at about this moment: ... desert island, private island, island paradise. Buy myself one of these little dots, get a boat, and build a dock, kiss the world good-bye ..."

But Standiford gives us none of that atmosphere in his history. It's like there are three separate books stories here; the 1935 hurricane and Ernest Hemingway, driving Highway 1, and Henry Flagler. And Standiford gives the Flagler story the least of his cultural, narrative and descriptive energy. It's almost just a chronology. I wanted more.

"In a sense, the highway is what remains of one of the last great gasps of the era of Manifest Destiny and an undertaking that marked the true closing of the American Frontier. The building of "the railroad across the ocean" was a colossal piece of work, born of the same impulse that made individuals believe that pyramids could be raised, cathedrals erected, and continents tamed."
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Sep 28, 2011

Jennifer Rickmann rated it

This audiobook gets my biggest compliment: I will be listening to it again! It's full of interesting facts about Florida history that go far beyond the railroad (including lots of information about Hurricane Andrew). Since I live in the Keys, I especially enjoyed hearing about life here when the islands were only accessible by boat. The endearing tales of Flagler's ups and downs throughout his career and three marriages will keep your attention, as well as seldom-heard histories of others involv...more

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Dec 28, 2010

Susan rated it

This is an interesting book, although it is so laden with facts that I was worn down and out upon completion of reading. Henry Flagler was an ambitious dreamer, a man with the wherewithal to make it happen. His vision and obsession was to build a railroad to connect Key West to the Florida mainland, and though thrice married Flagler was faced with obstacle after obstacle, he was able to accomplish his goal--somewhat. For twenty two years the railways were testament to Flagler's tenacity and t...more

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Jul 18, 2011

Trena rated it

Recommended to Trena by: Random browsing in Goodreads

Henry Flagler was the co-founder of Standard Oil, along with John D. Rockefeller. Why have you not heard of him? (Or at least, why had I not heard of him?) Partly because his descendants don't seem to have held onto his wealth, but mostly because he ended up spending most of his money developing Florida. This book tells the story of the building of a railroad from the Florida mainland out to Key West, a route that can today be driven by car as the Overseas Highway, much of which was laid on ...moreHenry Flagler was the co-founder of Standard Oil, along with John D. Rockefeller. Why have you not heard of him? (Or at least, why had I not heard of him?) Partly because his descendants don't seem to have held onto his wealth, but mostly because he ended up spending most of his money developing Florida. This book tells the story of the building of a railroad from the Florida mainland out to Key West, a route that can today be driven by car as the Overseas Highway, much of which was laid on the railroad infrastructure built from about 1895 to 1912.

The project was sort of a quixotic fool's errand and sort of an amazing vision. It was plagued by hurricanes and unbelievable engineering challenges (all done with steam power and sheer human muscle), and the book conveys it well without getting too deep into the engineering. For that it gets 3 stars; it is a fairly quick read on an interesting topic.

However, the book also has its flaws. It introduces the characters involved in the project, but does nothing to really bring them to life. The most gripping parts of the book don't have much to do with the railroad at all, but with the 1935 hurricane that destroyed it. The writing and grammar are too simplistic for my taste. And it really, really glosses over the average workingman. The project was plagued with allegations of worker mistreatment. It's possible the allegations were invented whole cloth, but it seems more likely they contained at least a glimmer of truth; Standiford does not really entertain that possibility. On a few occasions he mentions that a few workmen died (such as in hurricanes), but these are also extremely glossed over and no actual facts or figures are provided. I assumed that Flagler's second wife, who was put away in an insane asylum and subsequently divorced when Flagler paid off the Florida legislature to allow divorce on grounds of insanity, received the same glossed over treatment. Putting inconvenient women away was not an uncommon practice at the time. However, later in the book Standiford provides details indicating that she really was crazy and suffering from delusions and hallucinations.

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Jan 24, 2010

Eric_W rated it

Shelves: history-historiography

Frankly, I have no idea how I ran across this very interesting book. Henry Flagler, one of the last great industrialists and oil barons, built a railroad across the Florida Keys, a feat that had been considered impossible, in order to capitalize on the proximity of Cuba to the nascent Panama Canal. He had already virtually built the state of Florida by buying and developing land all along the east coast, then linking his hotel properties via rail. His Key West Railroad, an extension of the Flori...moreFrankly, I have no idea how I ran across this very interesting book. Henry Flagler, one of the last great industrialists and oil barons, built a railroad across the Florida Keys, a feat that had been considered impossible, in order to capitalize on the proximity of Cuba to the nascent Panama Canal. He had already virtually built the state of Florida by buying and developing land all along the east coast, then linking his hotel properties via rail. His Key West Railroad, an extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad, would connect Miami to Key West, about 153 miles, much of it over open water. A massive hurricane in 1935 undid it all. The Weather Bureau did not begin naming hurricanes until 1953, so in 1935 as Hemingway viewed the sketchy forecasts and storm warnings with alarm, he had no way of referring to the specific storm that was about to destroy Key West.

Unbeknownst to him, just to the north, the barometer had fallen to the lowest ever recorded. The islands of the Florida Keys are not very high above the water, making them especially vulnerable to storms and waves. Despite this knowledge, Henry Flagler had built the dream extension of his railroad in a magnificent feat of engineering. Nature was about to suggest that he shouldn't have bothered. Considering that Flagler in 1898 was sixtyeight years old and could have easily retired to a luxurious existence, it is even more remarkable that he would have risked his fortune on such a risky venture. The Spanish-American War, which cost Spain Cuba, provided the added incentive he needed. (It is interesting to speculate what might have happened had William Jennings Bryan been elected president instead of McKinley, who was a great friend to business. Bryan, I suspect, would not have been drawn into the skullduggery behind the sinking of the Maine.)

Having been thwarted in his desire to build a deep-water port in Miami, Flagler deemed Key West a logical alternative. The engineering difficulties were staggering. Special dredges on boats were designed to carve out a way for themselves as they used the material pulled from the swamps and marshes to create the roadbed. Mosquitoes swarmed all during the day, and portending the disaster that was to befall the railroad in 1935, a hurricane killed many workers in 1906 as the special dormitory barges were smashed. Several long bridges had to span many miles of ocean, and the seven-mile viaduct, considered a beautiful structure, became the symbol of the Florida East Coast Railroad. The Keys, originally an unbroken stretch of land that connected present-day Florida to Mexico are simply the vestigial remains of that land bridge subject to eons of erosion and storms — unless, of course, you are a young earth advocate in which case it was five minutes. That is a problem for builders because storms continue to push walls of water twenty to thirty feet high in front of them. These storm surges would course through the natural passageways that had been cut between the remaining land forms. Any blockage of these waterways would cause tremendous problems.

The railroad builders, who had filled in shorter distances between land areas, were creating unnatural dikes. They were swept away in the first hurricane to batter the railroad in 1909. Flagler and his engineers revised their plans and built more bridges that permitted water to flow underneath rather than impede its flow. They also discovered that the natural limestone marl made a much better substrate than imported rock and gravel, which was easily washed away. The line was completed slightly ahead of schedule despite several setbacks and shortly before Flagler's death. It had cost him most of his fortune to build, but never made money. Instead of encouraging growth on the Keys, there is evidence it might have done the opposite. Many residents chose to leave the islands and migrated to Miami on the railroad. Traffic from Cuba never amounted to much, and by 1930 the Census Bureau reported that Key West had actually lost more than seven thousand residents.

The worst hurricane in United States history, on Labor Day 1935, washed everything away. Winds in excess of 200 mph were measured. Given that the winds in only 3 percent of tornadoes exceed 206 mph you can get an idea of the devastation caused on a series of islands that were barely above sea level. ("A minimal 75-mile-per-hour storm has the capability of propelling a shard of two-by-four lumber through a four-inch concrete block wall." Bear in mind that when wind speed doubles, its force quadruples. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 produced only 155 mph winds.) Weather forecasting was still in its infancy, but the railroad, given its earlier experience with hurricanes, had implemented several measures to help provide some warning. Nevertheless, loss of life was extensive and an emergency relief train sent to take people off the keys was blown away. The well-built bridges survived, indeed they were partly used to build the highway that now links the Keys to the mainland, but the railroad was bankrupt by then, and the rights-of-way were sold to the state for not even one-twentieth of the $30 million Flagler had spent on building the Keys Extension. His chain of world-class resorts still remains as a monument to the man who virtually created Florida.(less)

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Nov 21, 2007

Tracey rated it

Shelves: libraryread, pop-history

I'd heard bits & pieces of Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad That Crossed an Ocean on The Radio Reader last March [2002]. I sent a recommendation to the local library and got to be the first reader of the copy they purchased.

As noted in the subtitle - the book is a history of Henry Flagler's Florida projects, most notably the construction of the Key West Railroad in the first decade of the 1900's. While there is some biographical...more

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Nov 25, 2007

Lori rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone who loves the Florida Keys and wants to learn more about them.

I never thought I'd enjoy reading nonfiction so much, but this book, and the one I read previously on the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair have turned out to be two of my favorites. I guess I enjoy history more than I even knew. Plus, both of these books have proven handy when answering questions before my husband does when we are home watching Jeopardy!

Henry Flagler was a visionary. He looked the impossible in the face and succeeded where others thought was nothing but folly. He was a co-ow...more

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Aug 03, 2007

Kay rated it

Shelves: american-histry, social-history, gilded-age, engineers_and_inventors

Thoroughly enjoyable account of mogul Henry Flagler's efforts to build a railway all the way down through the Florida Keys, a heroic effort nearly on a par with building the Panama Canal and other feats of notable civic engineering. Flagler was John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil partner, so of course he had huge resources at his disposal. But what becomes evident early on is that Flagler was a visionary, and he had a very clear vision of what he wanted Florida to become. (Florida, for some r...more

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Jun 30, 2011

Abby rated it

If you want to learn the history of Florida and, particularly, the monumental feat of building a railroad across the sea from Miami to Key West, this is your book. Standiford does well telling this story and bringing Henry Flagler, the man who turned Florida into a tourist mecca, to life. The book is also about a great hurricane that hit the Keys in the 1930s, but it's almost an afterthought. The real story here is about Flagler and the trials of building a railroad that no one thought possible...more

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May 17, 2009

Seth rated it

Recommends it for: Florida vacationers

Recommended to Seth by: Amazon Vine

One of the first things I came across was all the praise surrounding this book. On the back of the cover and inside as well are many accounts of praise from notable figures and newspapers. What caught my eye was Donald Trump's words, "A fascinating and incredibly compelling account...I could not put it down." Not that a man can't read what he wants, but I found it interesting that Donald was fascinated by this book centered on a railroad.

Praise is much deserved for Les Stan...more

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Jan 01, 2009

Brendan rated it

Shelves: audio, non-fiction, 2008, history-journalism

Standiford tells of the enormous engineering project that was the Florida Keys rail line. Henry Flagler, part of the Standard Oil empire, built a rail line from Miami across the ocean/gulf of Mexico down to Key West. Then along came a hurricane. Why are there so many history books about trains? Flagler's relentless optimism about the dubious project is spiriting and a little depressing at the same time. What if he'd gotten behind some philanthropic act with the same vigor? Interesting stor...more

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Feb 15, 2011

Carolyn rated it

This is the true story of Henry Flagler, born in 1830 to a penniless upstate NY preacher, his rise with John Rockefeller as cofounder of Standard Oil and eventually the building of his ill-fated train from Miami to Key West when he was in his mid-seventies. If you like reading about hurricanes, civil engineering, the rich at the turn of the century, Florida history, antitrust, Hemingway, and an enigmatic visionary - here's the book.
Great story

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May 03, 2011

Evan rated it

An entertaining little book of pop history. The writing alone would probably only be worth three stars, but the author's approach to his rather obscure subject is entertaining enough to bump it up to a solid four stars. A lovelorn millionaire decides to spend his fortune to build a railroad across the sea to Key West? With cameos by J.D. Rockefeller, Ernest Hemingway, and the Storm of the Century? How can you go wrong?

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Jan 20, 2012

Nan rated it

Shelves: history, i-own-it, kwls-author, nonfiction, florida

If you're going to read one book about the building -- and destruction, less than three decades later -- of the Overseas Railway, this is the book to read. January 2012 will be the Centennial of the completion of the railroad, which transformed the Florida Keys from an isolated island chain into an artificial peninsula, an extension of South Florida. Only a determined and extraordinarily wealthy man like Henry Flagler -- one of the original partners in Standard Oil -- could have seen the project...more

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Oct 16, 2011

Erika rated it

My grandparents arrived in Key West about 20 years after the railroad was built (and about 4 years after it had been destroyed by the worst hurricane in history), and although I was born 40 years after that, it's one of the things I remember my grandfather talking about the most. This is the first I've read about this incredible project, but for years I have been in awe of the remnants of Flagler's railroad (and since I was a little girl, I have wanted to spend a night at his Casa Marina). It wa...more

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May 17, 2011

Alex Mckellop rated it

A historical account of a driven & vivacious man who climbs to the top with many set backs and failures. It is historically accurate and cited. Although it does not feel like there is going to be a quiz at the end of the read. It motivated me to work harder and put more time into my knowledge of my specific trade. This man is "larger than life."

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Mar 11, 2011

Jerry rated it

Another of the amazing feats during the times of American expansion (trans-continental railroad, panama canal, etc.) when we thought nothing was impossible. Especially interesting if you have a familiarity with the Keys so you can picture much of the terrain and the remains of the bridges.

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Dec 07, 2010

Mary rated it

True account of the building of the Key West railroad, considered the 8th wonder of the world. The railroad was destroyed by a hurricane in 1935. This is a fast paced adventure tale which holds the reader from page one. A lively account of an extraordinary construction story. Wonderful!

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Nov 27, 2011

Ann Fisher rated it

I read this on the recommendation of a male friend, who is undoubtedly more interested in railroads and the golden age of capitalism than I am. But it's an amazing story I'd been totally unaware of, and the descriptions of hurricanes are more vivid than any photos I've ever seen.

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Oct 09, 2011

Kathryn rated it

This was a very interesting book about Henry Flagler, who co-founded Standard Oil, using his money to build a railroad across the Flordia keys to connect Key West to the mainland. He also build several exclusive hotels in Florida, which started Florida on it's present course.

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Feb 24, 2009

Bill rated it

Recommended to Bill by: Nancy Pearl

Shelves: nonfiction

The opening chapter of this book is totally thrilling and beautifully written. Unfortunately, chapter 2 is slow going and the book doesn't really regain its momentum again until about the half-way point. The book never quite recovers from it's spectacular opening. I'm not sure why Standiford chose to structure his re-telling of the hurricane that destroyed Flager's Key West railroad that way, but it didn't quite work for me.

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Oct 15, 2010

Adam rated it

This is a fascinating book particularly for admirers of the Florida keys. Having lived in key west for two years and completed the drive from Miami to key west more than a dozen times this story comes to life. A detailed look at Henry Flagler's rise with standard oil and desire to connect Florida and eventually the keys with rest of the world by rail.

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Nov 27, 2011

Steve Lane rated it

Shelves: audio-book

As a Floridian and lover of the Florida Keys, the subject was of special of interest to me. The audio book was fantastic both due to the material being covered and the reader's voice and delivery.

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Jun 18, 2009

Emilia B. rated it

While not wonderfully written, this is still an enjoyable, quick read from a solid storyteller. Flagler and his Florida interests are definitely a topic worthy of more in-depth examination.

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Jan 04, 2012

Courtney Milford rated it

Shelves: history

Totally an interesting true story of how Henry Flagler built the railroad to Key West and the big hurriance from the movie "Key Largo". No one has tried to do that again.

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Jan 11, 2011

Kristen **NaNoWriMo winner!!** rated it

Shelves: after-11-11-10, non-fiction, january-2011

I am fascinated by the subject of the railroad to Key West, so this book hooked me immediately. It is easy-to-read, almost narrative and shows how unemotional Flagler was. I was just in St. Augustine, so I wish I had read this book a month ago and could have done more exploring of Flagler history.

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Aug 28, 2011

Chaz rated it

Les' book will rank among other Florida classics. Run and get yourself a copy, it'll keep you warm during Hurricane Season...

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