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Don Boyd | all galleries >> Memories of Old Hialeah, Old Miami and Old South Florida Photo Galleries - largest non-Facebook collection on the internet >> DOWNTOWN Miami, Bayfront Park and Port of Miami Historical Photos Gallery - All Years - click on image to view > 1961 - Pier 5 at Bayfront Park, downtown Miami
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1961 Florida State Archives

1961 - Pier 5 at Bayfront Park, downtown Miami

Pier 5, Bayfront Park, Miami, Florida


Thanks to George W. Young for sending this image. If you didn't catch your own then this was the place to buy the best fresh fish in town. Note the Lovell Homes ad on the garbage can under the tail of the sailfish.


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Fred Albury 30-Nov-2023 15:04
Fred Albury: My grandfather William Alonzo "Capt Bill" Albury built the Seven Seas Dreamboat in 1938 and and the Mermaid, Island Queen, and operated them until abt 1955 when he sold the whole operation and retired. Piers 6 through 10 were all his boats. His brother Morton Albury Capt. the Mermaid. They operated under the Albury Motorboat Line. Albury & Co. Steamship Agents - Miami was started and run by his Uncle Charles Albury. Charles was instrumental in getting Dodge Island built and Gvt. Cut dug to allow deeper draft shipping into Miami. If anyone knows the disposition of the Dreamboat I'd love to hear from you. falbury1@yahoo.com
Carolyn Crimmins 23-Aug-2021 21:08
My father, Capt. Art Crimmins, owned and chartered the Traveler from Pier 5 for many years. The Traveler was the first sailboat admitted to the traditional Pier 5 fishing fleet and the first charter sailboat across the Gulfstream. I remember many happy days on Pier 5! He spoke very highly of the crews of the fishing fleet in his book 'Traveler" written by Peggy Crimmins. The Traveler was built, all by hand, in Man-O-Way Cay in the Bahamas and the hull was towed to Miami in 1946 and he completed it and began chartering. After the Traveler was sold in 1959 he chartered the Traveler II, based in Nassau for many years.
David Gritzke 20-Jan-2018 14:13
July 30, 1964 I after ten days of fishing with the Captains of Pier 5 caught a 52 inch Bull Dolphin which weighed 32 pounds and a Sailfish that was 80 inches long and weighed 36 pounds. I caught these on the Sea Boots” with Captain Buddy Carey. The sailfish was the first one I catch that day. I t first approached the line of the fisherman on lower deck. The Captain tried to give pointers to the man but he told the Captain that he paid for the opportunity to fish but didn’t need his advice. The Captain knew the man was going to miss the setting of the hook so he turned to me. He asked if I had the chance to catch that sailfish would I listen to his advice. I said yes. The man missed, my ballyhoo was floated in front of this sailfish by Captain Carey and the sailfish took the bait. I was sweating as the Captain told me to wait until he said to set the hook. It seemed like eternity. I got his nod from the Captain. I put the lock on and with one pull upward the hook was set and the fight was on. After half hour the first missed the first attempt to dunk and retrieved my sailfish. Captain Buddy was upset at him and told the first mate to steer the yacht while he dunked for the sailfish. Captain Buddy pulled it up and out of the ocean and dropped it across the feet of the fisherman who wouldn’t take his advice. He stated” Now that’s how it’s done”. The fish man was a little enraged and went upstairs and asked for my lucky seat I willingly gave him my seat. I sat across from him in the other chair. Twenty minutes later I caught my Bull Dolphin. The disappointed fisherman went downstairs into the cabin and didn’t come out again until we docked. Before we started out I had told Captain Buddy that I wanted to mount my fish. I had been on every yacht at pier 5 over ten days and this was the last day of my vacation. As I departed from Miami International Airport the next day we flew over Pier 5 as the yachts we going out once again to bring dreams come true to more avid fishermen. I bid them Good Luck.
David Gritzke 20-Jan-2018 13:31
Ion
Guest 02-Jun-2016 19:57
The picture brings back great memories. I was born in Coral Gables at Doctor's Hospital in 1953. On weekends we would go to Pier 5 with the family to see the charter boats come in and see the catches of the day. Also we got to buy small bags of peanuts to feed the pigeons. It was such a fun time.
Don Boyd23-Feb-2016 17:40
Thank you Richard, and everyone else, for your comments and memories. They add so much more to the photo to have more historical and personal experiences described like you have done.

Don
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richard selley 23-Feb-2016 16:39
My grandfather, Herman Selley owned the glass-bottom boat Mermaid on pier 9, and my dad, Capt. Freddie drove it. My dad later bought the little 55 foot Sea Breeze Jr. from Henry Simone. I had the run of this place and remember buying chunks of smoked sailfish for 25 cents at the foot of pier 5 in this picture. I was 8 or 9 years old when i got a 14 foot skiff and at Christmass i got a little Evinrude and was turned loose in the bay ! I would sell conch shells to the tourists for gas money -which i bought from mark21711's parents at pier 10
Pat 13-Oct-2014 02:03
I remember as a young kid in the early 60's lived in Hialeah I use to go with my dad in his taxi cab down to pier 5 to see the fish being cleaned then throwing the scraps out in the bay to see the pelicans dive in and get the chum we through .simple fun in a different time
Joe Klein 24-Oct-2013 06:34
Remember going to Pier 5 to greet my dad and his other fellow fishermen coming in from a day on the Sea Boots and excitingly waiting to see their catch. It was quite a spectacle for a young boy from Indianapolis to get to see. My dad and his fishing partners were most all police officers in Indy who vacationed each August with their families in Miami Beach. Still see a sailfish hanging on a restaurant wall in Indy. Great memories for a now 67 year old.
see


Scottie 07-Sep-2013 00:20
My father was Capt. H.E. "Blackie" Shappell of the Hazel S. Dad started as mate under Capt. Buddy Carey and went on to teach the great Billy Ridgeway the ways of the trade.
robyn 26-Mar-2013 03:17
My dad capt. robert allen owned the fish hawk out of ier 5.
Rudy Pasates 17-Dec-2011 01:20
I took many a walk down that pier in 1961.
Loved the smells of fish and bait, the boats and the people just walking about.
I have this same photo hanging in my home
Dave D 14-May-2011 15:33
Great memories of a great place, I believe it lasted into the early 70's, some famous fishing boats and capts. The Spauldings"Flying Fish", Buddy Carey, Bouncer Smith started there,Capt. Smitty on the" Seabreeze" and Capt. Henry Simone on the "Seabreeze 2", Bill Curtis, Tommy Salvano, used to take the bus there as a kid, grab some Royal Castles and fish all day.
ERNEST 10-May-2011 19:50
MAY BEST YEARS AS KID, WAS ON THE DREAMBOAT, MY FATHER WAS
THE CAPTAIN OF THE SEVEN SEAS DREAMBOAT. AND MY NAME CAME
FROM HIS BOSS, ERNEST CLYDE EVANS.
BOTH MY BROTHER AND I ENJOYED THOSE YEARS, PIER 5 IS WHERE I
SPENT TIME ON THE DREAMBOAT WITH MY FATHER CAPTAIN ROBERT
M. PLATT. HE WOULD HAVE LOVED THIS SITE.
mark2171113-Mar-2009 16:58
my mom and dad betty and bert ran the gas and bait shop for many years before the city moved us accross to watson island grew up there and was there every day after school.knew everybody there.contact me @mark21711@aol.com
Teresa 18-Apr-2008 16:29
Bethann, I lived in Carol City until about 1970 also. My parents bought there in 58. It was so much fun to go to Pier 5 and spend the day there and at the Gardens. We have some great memories from Carol City and all of South Florida back in those old days!.
Bethann 01-Mar-2008 02:32
I'm not sure if I have the right place, but I'm pretty sure that I do. My mom used to work in the little resturant that was there. I use to go on Saturdays and spend the whole day down there. What wonderful times just hanging out on the docks waiting for the boats to come in with their catches. South Florida was a wonderful place to grow up in. We lived in Carol City until 1970. Then my dad moved us to Lake Placid. While he stilled worked at Eastern another 11yrs. Then retired to Lk. Placid. Would like to see some photos from my area. Thanks for the web site.
Don Boyd16-Jan-2008 18:40
Thanks for your comments Harry. That was an interesting story about the photographer. Write that book of memories anyhow and I'll put the pages on this site like I did with Rose Farrell Taylor in the Hialeah Gallery. Don
harry whitmore 16-Jan-2008 14:35
guest , I first came to Florida in 1956 and moved here in 1960 . I loved to fish and went fishing with Buddy Carry , first boat on left as you walk onto the dock , I saw the camera man who took these pictures and asked him if he wanted to take my picture and he said he just did , there is another picture , not this one which I am in and it brings back a lot of very good memories . thanks to all of you who have spent time in prepairing these wonderful pictures , I guess I can give up on writing a book about what I have seen through the years , thanks again and may God bless you
Guest 13-Jan-2008 20:18
we used to fish on the headboat "Seabreeze" for $ 3.95 for a full day. A rod and reel rental was an extra dollar and Capt Lonnie Rutherford was the captain. The other boat was the 'SEA Boots" with Capt Buddy Carey at the helm. Capt. Carey's son later took over when Buddy retired. Trips were $ 20.00 a day on the Sea Boots".
Fla native 22-Oct-2007 21:30
What memories. We went there often on the 1950's on sunday afternoon. we'd buy a bag of peanuts for a dime, feed the pegions and then stroll over to the pier to see what had been caught. The souvenir shop on the left had all the usual Florida "stuff" but of particular interest to me as a 10 year old was the tank of live "alligators" (actually caymans, I think) for sale. About a foot long. That was the day.
Guest 27-Jul-2007 17:31
Thanks Cptn Nichols for the head boat names. I commented on another photo how much I missed Pier 5 and that I'd gone on some head boats there with my dad in the early 60's, but couldn't remember the boats names. Seabreeze and Fish Hawk were them; thanks for that little jolt of memory! I was born in Miami and left FL for TX to go to college. I return to visit family all the time but never moved back; it's just not the same anymore.
Captain Chris Nichols 04-Jul-2007 16:48
Some of my fondest childhood memories- walking the docks ('61-'62) with the family on a weekend afternoon to see what the boats had brought in. It was never the same after being remodeled from wood to concrete piers. Enjoyed working on the drift fishing boats (Seabreeze Too & Fish Hawk III) in the early 70's. Resident Miami 1956 to 1979.
Guest 25-Jun-2007 17:56
My dad had a gum maching (chicklets) at the Pier 5! It was so exciting to go there! See lower left the advertisement for the Dreamboat? It was a day cruise, I went on it once at about 7 years old and won the talent contest. Thanks for the wonderful memories!
Denise R.
Guest 21-Jun-2007 21:52
this is the first place i saw manatees or sea cows as they were called the bldg on the left was called the harbour house resturant and the cook would dump lettus and stuff and thats why the sea cows would be there -lucy did an episode there --the bldg in the far middle was a boat hanger along with the one on the right
the booths on the right front went for a half block-it was aross the street from the bayfront auditorium -- today bayfront stands in its place across from american airlines arena
Guest 20-Jun-2007 20:15
I remember Pier 5, at the time we went to look around and have fun walking around!
Guest 03-Jun-2007 04:03
If this existed in the early 80's I remember having gone with my family....now I go up to the one in Pompano