Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
land. British troops from Tortola took advantage of the situ-
ation by attacking and capturing St. Thomas and St. John in
1807, holding them for seven years.
When the slaves were freed in 1848, the cultivation of sugar
cane become unprofitable and most of the planters left. The
few natives that remained on St. John existed by farming,
fishing and raising livestock.
Caneel Bay
, originally a Sugar Mill, was purchased by
Laurence Rockefeller, who donated it to the
Jackson Hole
Preserve
, a conservation organization. At that time, St.
John had about 800 residents and no electricity or cars.
Jackson Hole proceeded to buy up over 5,000 acres along St.
John's north shore. The locals were dismayed at the tremen-
dous changes occurring on the island. In 1956, Jackson Hole
donated the land (not Caneel Bay however) to the Federal
Government, and a National Park was created. The park
has permitted the natural beauty, wildlife and incomparable
beaches to remain unspoiled.
The population of St. John has grown to almost 5,000 and al-
though some resentment lingers, the locals have grown to
appreciate the park in their midst.
U
Many St. Johnians were born in
Tortola, BVI and in the Dominican
Republic.
Orientation
The island's most-visited points of interest lie
along the
North Shore
from Cruz Bay to the
Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins, all within the
boundaries of the National Park. The South
Shore is just as beautiful, although drier and
less developed. When you get off the ferry,
drop into one of the souvenir shops alongside
the dock and pick up the
St. John Map
, a delightful
tongue-in-cheek rendition of St. John drawn by Linda
