"Conjectural" portrait of Columbus
(No unquestionably authentic portrait of Columbus exists)!
Blackbeard meets Robert Maynard
A Portrait of Edward Teach
Blackbeard's Pirate Flag
The United States Virgin Islands
A bit of History
Historically, the “western world” discovered the Virgin Islands through Christopher Columbus. On November 14, 1493he landed on what is now known as Salt River Bay on the island of St. Croix during his “second voyage of discovery”. However, the Virgin Islands were home to very old native cultures when Columbus “discovered” them. The islands appear to have been first settled several thousand years ago; the Ciboney and the Arawak tribes had occupied the islands for around two thousand years and the Caribs for perhaps 200 years before Columbus’ arrival.
Trade brought development to the Virgin Islands and the Danes successfully settled St. Thomas in 1671. St. John was settled in 1718 and St. Croix in 1733. Eventually the area became known for its sugar and cotton trade as well as becoming a center for the slave trade. Lower priced competition in the Sugar and Cotton industries coupled with emancipation of slavery on July 28, 1847 led the islands away from their production economy.
The islands entered an economic decline with the loss of their old economic base, and likely motivated the Danes to sell them to the US, who wanted them because of their strategic location. After decades of discussions, the United States bought what are now the US Virgin Islands from Denmark on March 31, 1917. The shift to a tourist economy started after the second world war and hit full stride in the 1950’s. Tourism is now the primary “product” of the US Virgin Islands.
Pirates
No discussion of the Caribbean is complete without touching on the most notorious and "romantic" aspect of the island's history. While wonderfully entertaining movies like the recent "Pirates of the Caribbean" series are fictional, piracy in the Virgin Islands was very real. (Though perhaps much embellished by myth and legend). There is historical evidence that piracy was occuring around the Virgin Islands as early as the 1520's, though it reached its peak in the mid 1680's when corrupt governors of St. Thomas actively supported the practice.
The fabled pirates “Bluebeard” and “Blackbeard” of the early 1700’s are a mixture of myth and reality. There are castles named for them on St. Thomas, and they are both very old fortified buildings, but they were not built by those pirates and they are not truly castles. Perhaps sadly, Bluebeard is probably entirely mythical. However for those who want some reality in their romance with the past; Edward Teach ,known also as “Blackbeard”, was a real person. Historical records show that he sailed to the Virgin Islands, and that he was probably well deserving of his evil reputation!
More Information!
There are many books available about the Islands and their history , and if you don’t buy some before you come then plan on making some purchases after you arrive. In fact, most of the history related here was summarized from “A History of the Virgin Islands of the United States” by Dookhan, one of many fascinating works available locally.
For more information there are innumerable sources on the internet, just enter "US Virgin Islands" into any search engine.
Illustrations are all public domain, their sources are:
Woodcuts: "Pirate Image Archive"
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Enjoy your St Thomas Vacation rental.