November 29th, 2009 
Michael Kohler Located at 28655 S. Dixie Hwy. in a little town called Homestead Florida not 35 miles south of Miami lies one of the strangest and most amazing tourist attractions not only in the state of Florida but in the United States.
This place is called the Coral Castle. Although originally called Rock Gate Park, the structure located in Homestead is not only an amazing place to visit but also one of the most intriguing megalithic stone structures in the world.
The story is that Edward Leedskalnin was engaged to his childhood sweetheart whose name was Agnes. Ed loved her and called her his Sweet 16. This had to do with their age difference of 10 years.
Legend has it that on the day before the wedding, Agnes told Leedskalnin but she did not want to marry him. There are many conjectures regarding why. Some believe that it was because of his lack of education or money.
Heartbroken, this decision made Ed rethink his life. He decided to leave Latvia and journey to Canada in search of something better.
It is said that Edward Leedskalnin wandered about for several years. After making his way to Canada, he then moved down into California and eventually arrived in Texas. He worked several types of jobs including the lumber camps in Canada and California. He is said to have also been part of at least one cattle drive in Texas.
Visitors of coral castle can actually believe that these labor intensive jobs actually helped and prepared to make his 1100 tons structure. What is sad, and even confusing, is that this very strong man almost died from contracting tuberculosis before any of this ever began.
Luckily for Ed he was found by a local realtor that helped him back to good health and recover from the tuberculosis that he had contracted. Ed then purchased a $12 piece of land from the realtor and began to make his famous megalithic structure.
One of the reasons that most immigrants come to America is that they believe that our country is the land of opportunity and that through hard work and determination you can create a successful life of your own. This belief, and his love for his Sweet 16, caused Ed to begin though they Coral Castle.
According to geologists, this area of Florida has coral that goes down several thousand feet. Therefore, Ed had plenty of material to work with and began construction of his coral home including beds, tables, and shares all made out of coral.
What is even more miraculous is that except for a few pictures but Ed allowed to be taken of him, no one ever saw him working. To this day, no one knows how Edward Leedskalnin extracted, carved, moved, and positioned the coral artifacts that you can see today.
There are many amazing structures at the Coral Castle. One of which is the 9 Ton Gate which is a single piece of coral that is perfectly balanced that a child can push it with her finger causing it to turn.
Edward Leedskalnin died in’51. No one ever found out his secret for moving blocks of coral that way sometimes in excess of 30 tons. Regardless of how he did it, it is an amazing structure to behold.
So if you’re ever in the Miami area, and you need a break from Sea world or the Everglades, stop in at the Coral Castle. You will be amazed.
Find out more information on the Coral Castle today
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