The magnificent sculpture "The Wreckers," at 18 feet long and 25 feet high, captures the spirit of Key West as a bold, boisterous, and bustling sea town out on the frontier of young America. The early wreckers are depicted engaging in their work of saving lives and cargo from a vessel come to ultimate peril on our reef. Wrecking was the island's first economy and the reason for her early existence. In fact, Key West became the richest city per capita in the U.S. during the mid 1800s due to the salvage fees received by the wrecking captains and crews, and ultimately the businessmen, lawyers, clerks, packers, dock hands, and insurance agents ashore. The monument was created at the hands of master award winning sculptor James Mastin of Miami, Florida. This sculpture was made possible in a large part by a grant from the Ocean Key House Suite Resort & Marina and donations from the people of Key West.