Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
fishermen arrived from nearby St. Bartholomew. Hundreds
of them built their own town on the waterfront just west of
Charlotte Amalie. This area, still known as Frenchtown, is
filled with restaurants and nite spots.
St. Thomas' fortunes rose and fell with those of Denmark
during these years, at some periods prosperous and others
just short of ruin. In 1843, Governor Peter Von Scholten
granted freedom to the slaves (after a bloody uprising on St.
Croix) and the effect on the economy was devastating. Most
slaves stayed on the island but preferred to work their own
land or labor in town rather than remain on the plantations.
At this time ships began using steam engines rather than
sails and the need for restocking supplies diminished. The
island stagnated for the rest of the century and it wasn't un-
til 1917 that it again became important. The United States
was afraid that Denmark would fall to the Germans during
World War I, giving Germany a refueling stop for its ships in
the Caribbean. America determined to purchase the islands
from the Danes, who had ruled them for over 200 years. The
price - $25 million in gold. The change of ownership did lit-
tle for the people of the islands. But after World War II, St.
Thomas' status as a free port, marvelous weather, easy
transportation and, finally, the closing of Cuba as a tourist
destination brought St. Thomas to its position as the pre-
mier stop in the Caribbean, with over a million visitors each
year. Many of them return annually.
Carnival
While St. Thomas' Carnival can't match the magic and ex-
citement of Rio's, everyone has a helluva good time. Calypso
is king here, and its beat is infectious.
The Carnival tradition was revived in 1952 after a long hia-
tus, and has grown and flourished. Now a month-long event
every April, Carnival activities actually start long before
that as floats are designed and constructed; parade groups
