2749  KEY WEST - IMAGES OF MODERN AMERICA By Frances Watson Clark, with foreword by Mandy Miles of the Key West Citizen. Key West has a colorful history. It was the beachhead that protected the United States from the Soviet Union and Cuba in the 1960s, its literary and music scenes attracted and developed writers, artists, and musicians in the 1970s, and it seceded from the Union and created a new nation, the Conch Republic, in the 1980s. Through the rest of the decades to the present, festivals, celebrations, and revelries have drawn tourists here year-round and supported the Conchs, the key’s residents. The vibrant community, people and places, military presence, and significant historic sites make Key West one of the most interesting places in the United States.