Beginning in the mid-1880s, development in Florida grew as
Henry Flagler's
Florida East Coast Railway was extended from
Jacksonville to
St. Augustine then to
Palm Beach and
Miami. Scientists requested that Paradise Key be protected from development, but they were mostly ignored until
May Mann Jennings and the Florida
Federation of Women's Clubs (FFWC) took up the cause. At the time, vandals and road workers were plundering palms and other rare plants. It was the first conservation action approved by the state. Henry Flagler's widow,
Mary Lily Kenan Flagler Bingham, matched the state grant for a total of when the park was dedicated on November 23, 1916. Safford, a noted botanist, gave this description of Paradise Key in 1919: Paradise Key, an island in the heart of the Everglades of Florida, is almost unique from a biological point of view, presenting as it does a remarkable example of a subtropical jungle within the limits of the United States in which primeval conditions of animal and plant life have remained unchanged by man, and thus offering a striking contrast to the keys along the coast of Florida as well as to other Everglade keys in which normal biological conditions have been greatly disturbed by destructive fires, clearing of forests or the construction of drainage canals, which not only affect the original conditions, but at the same time permit aquatic animals and plants previously unknown to penetrate into the Everglades. The region is also remarkable for the fact that it is a meeting place for many temperate and tropical types of plants and animals. On this account and from the fact that it offers a virgin field for collectors in most branches of natural history, it seems of the highest interest and importance that a careful study of its biological features should be made. The ECW, later known as the Civilian Conservation Corps, contributed a massive labor force that the park had previously lacked; up to 200 workers could contribute to park maintenance, public relations (e.g. as tour guides) and construction. Trail improvements and the laying of a telephone line into the park were important accomplishments of the ECW camp. Additional structures built included a deer yard, a concrete pond and various park support buildings, such as a garage. On November 17, 2016, there was a celebration to commemorate Royal Palm State Park's centennial. ==See also==