Who Are Collins and Flagler Anyway?

A Brief Guide to Miami Street Names
Flagler Street: Henry Flager's East Coast Railway made Miami possible. Before 1896, there was no easy way to move goods and people in and out of Miami. The railroad arrived in April, 1896, and Miami was incorporated in May. Henry Flagler is known as the "father of Miami" and his name graces many places in South Florida.

Collins Avenue: John Collins was a farmer and land developer who built the first wooden bridge from Miami to Miami Beach in 1913. The opening of the bridge is seen here. Collins Avenue is also referred to as A1A - it stretches from the southern tip of the island that is Miami Beach all the way north to Broward County. John Collins and his son-in-law owned most of Miami Beach at one time, and eventually sold their property to the Lummus brothers, whose names grace Miami Beach's Lummus Park. 

Biscayne Blvd.: Named for Biscayne Bay.

Brickell Avenue: William and Mary Brickell owned a trading post on the south side of the Miami River in the late 1800s. Everything south of the river was called Brickell for many years.

Julia Tuttle Causeway: Julia Tuttle was the "mother of Miami." It was she who persuaded (badgered some say) Henry Flagler into expanding his rail line south from Palm Beach to Miami. Flagler wanted to stop in Palm Beach and did until the great freeze of 1895, which spared Miami. Tuttle sent him fruit from Miami to prove that the crops down here were still fine and Flagler changed his mind.

Rickenbacker Causeway: Named after WW1 ace pilot and Medal of Honor winner Eddie Rickenbacker. He later became the president of Eastern Air Lines, which was based in Miami. He had a home for many years in Coconut Grove, not far from Key Biscayne, which is connected to the mainland by the Rickenbacker Causeway.

Don Shula Expressway: Don Shula IS the coach of the Miami Dolphins to many, no matter who else has held the job since his retirement in 1997. Shula holds the coaching record for most wins in the NFL (347) and coached the perfect season 1972 Dolphins.

Killian Drive: Named for pioneer Dan Killian, who had a country store south of what is now Coral Gables and was responsible for the first schools, streetlights and churches in this area.
Kendall Drive: Named for Henry John Broughton Kendall, a director of the Florida Land and Mortgage Company, which bought the land that is now Kendall (a census-designated but unincorporated part of Miami-Dade County) from the state of Florida in 1883.

Ives Dairy Rd. & Milam Dairy Rd.: At one time, these actually went to (you guessed it!) dairy farms. Now Ives Dairy Rd. runs out to Sun Life Stadium and becomes Dan Marino Blvd. and Milam Dairy Rd. goes to Miami Lakes. The Milam family name still graces their chain of local upscale grocery stores, Milam's.