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Dave Mickley
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Island History
Christopher Columbus sailed to Salt River,
St. Croix on his second voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1493. Since
then, the US Virgin Islands have been owned by Spain, France, Holland,
England, the Knights of Malta, Denmark, and the United States. The first
settlers on St. Croix were the Igneri, Taino, and the Carib Indians.
Archeological remains have been found that date back to around 2500 B.C. A
ceremonial ball court or religious center from the Taino era was
discovered in the Salt River Bay area, the only of its kind to be found in
the Lesser Antilles.
The Island has had many names: "Ay
Ay", from the Taino Indians meaning the river, "Cibuguiera"
by the Caribs, meaning stony land. Columbus named it Santa Cruz, meaning
Holy Cross, and staying with that meaning, the French named it St. Croix.
The French sold the island to Denmark in
1733. St. Thomas became the trade center because of its great harbor, and
St. Croix was developed for agriculture. The sugar and cotton plantations
were based on slavery. The Danes constructed Christiansted in 1735, named
for King Christian VI of Denmark, and Frederiksted in 1752 for King
Frederik V of Denmark. Friedrich Moth, governor of the West India Company,
layed out Christiansted and surveyed the island into 150 acre estates.
In 1755 the capital of the Virgin Islands
moved from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas to Christiansted, St. Croix. The
sugar based prosperity of the island reached its glory at the end of the
1700's with such exports as sugar, molasses, rum, hardwoods and cotton. In
1803, Danish laws brought an end to the slave trade and free compulsory
education was ordered for all slave children in 1839. In 1848, the slaves
of St. Croix demanded their freedom and on July 3, 1848 Governor General
Peter von Scholten declared, " All unfree in the Danish West Indies
are from today free."
The capital city of the Danish West Indies
alternated between Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and Christiansted, St.
Croix every six months after 1871 until Charlotte Amalie was appointed the
permanent capital.
At the turn of this century economic
depressions and hurricanes took their toll on the islands. Beet sugar
began to cut into the market for cane sugar. By 1917, the population of
St. Croix dropped from about 32,000 to around 14,000.
The United States purchased the Virgin
Islands because of concern about German threats to the Panama Canal in
1917 for $25 million.
The free port status of the islands was
retained in the sale treaty and is still in effect today. In 1936, the
Organic Act was passed by the United States Congress, providing for local
government. In 1954 a revised Organic Act was passed, allowing more
autonomy, with a Territorial three branch government.
Between 1931 and 1970 the governor was
appointed by the President of the United States. The election of the first
governor of the Virgin Islands, Melvin H. Evans, was held in 1970.
In the 1960's and 70's the economy
rebounded with the addition of Hess Oil and Harvey Alumina on St. Croix's
south shore. The population doubled and the islands became home to many
people from Puerto Rico and other West Indian islands.
Today the island remains a melting pot of
culture, with a diverse group of Black, Hispanic, Arab, East Indian and
Whites all living together. Tourism has become the leading industry, with
rum production and oil refining close behind.
Taken from the St.
Croix Explorer, 2000 Edition. |
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