Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tinuing his journey north, Columbus sailed by scores of is-
lands - some green and fertile, others barren rock.
Assuming that the islands were filled with gold and precious
jewels, and that there were thousands of them, Columbus
christened them for St. Ursula and her 11,000 virgins.
After Columbus' initial visit, little changed on the islands.
The few Indians that lived there were carried off by Spanish
explorers to work in the gold mines of South America. In
1625, Dutch and English settlements were established on
St. Croix, but these were soon supplanted by
French
set-
tlers under the leadership of
De Poincy
, governor of
France's Caribbean possessions. He granted the land to the
Knights of Malta, who laid out towns, fortresses and planta-
tions, changing the name to St. Croix. Although the economy
failed, the knights left their influence in the layout and ar-
chitecture that distinguishes the island from the others in
the area. France sold the island to
Denmark
in 1733.
The Danes sent settlers to St. Thomas and, after several di-
sastrous journeys, founded a settlement. By 1679, planta-
tions were growing indigo, cotton and tobacco for export to
Denmark. There were also slaves working these planta-
tions. Soon the appointed Danish governors found a way to
earn some extra cash. They opened up their settlement, with
its natural harbor, as a haven for privateers. Thus,
Blue-
beard
,
Blackbeard
,
Sir Francis Drake
and others used
this safe port and left their marks behind. Warehouses were
used to store their booty.
Unfortunately, St. Thomas also became renowned for its
slave market - the most active in the Caribbean. Buyers
came from the entire region and 123,000 slaves are thought
to have changed hands here.
During this time, Denmark declared St. Thomas a free port
and it remains so today.
In 1827 King Frederick VI appointed
Peter Von Scholten
governor of the islands. A new breed, Von Scholten learned
