|
|
Columbus Discovered St. Croix
|
In 1493 Christopher Columbus landed at
Salt River in
St. Croix. His greeting
was not warm, and his scouting party was met by the arrows
of the Carib Indians, causing them to leave the island.
The Caribs were not a peaceful tribe.
The only Caribs still in existence are on the island
of
Dominica
where they have a village and chief, and their handcrafts
are a means of support.
The Caribs of St. Croix lived on the island for about
10 more years after Columbus
and were targeted by the Spanish to become slaves.
Instead they left the island for a safer location.
|
 |
Although
Columbus
landed on Croix in the name of
Spain, the first white settlers on
St. Croix
were the Dutch and English with a small number of French
Protestants. In 1625 both countries,
Britain
and the Netherlands, co-existed on the island. The
English governor killed the Dutch governor, and there were
many years of fighting between the countries.
St. Croix
was governed by the British rule, then the French, and in
1733 it was purchased by the Danish West Indies Company.
|
| Many of the buildings in downtown
Christiansted
have Danish influence, making the town a quaint and fun area
for shopping and
walking.
Fort
Christiansvaern, the Steeple
Building, The Old Scale House, and the little shops
along the stone walkways have great charm.
The waters edge boardwalk is beautiful.
A drive through the countryside will show many ruins
of sugar mills which dot the old plantations of the
1800’s, when St. Croix was one of the wealthiest islands
in the West Indies.
There were 114 wind mills, 14 ox-mills and 275
plantations. Unfortunately,
the prosperity was due greatly to sugar cultivation, rum
production and slave labor. Prosperity
ended when Denmark's role in the slave trade ended, but the Danish remained
helping the island to improve its education, living
conditions, and work laws. Most areas still carry the
plantation names and it is fun to see them as you drive
around the island. The
Heritage Trail route connects many of the island
historical sites.
|
|
Fort Christiansvaern, with 5 historic buildings
maintained by the National Park Service for guided tours. |
 |
|
In 1917 St. Croix,
St. John
and
St. Thomas
were purchased by the United States of America
from the Danish government for military reasons.
The islands have become famous for tourism and their
economies have improved significantly.
Each island has its own features, with
St. Croix
being the largest and less known, more agriculture, and its
own sub-tropical rainforest. It’s
a wonderful island to visit and part
of America
’s
Caribbean!
|
|
|
|
|
