St Croix Virgin Islands

Saint Croix, or Santa Cruz in Spanish, is the largest of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). However, the capital, Charlotte Amalie, is situated on St Thomas. The St Croix Virgin Islands is just 28 by 7 miles in size, but it has been occupied by seven different countries in its history: Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, the Knights of Malta, Denmark and now the United States.

St Croix Virgin Islands

The St Croix Virgin Islands are some of the most popular Caribbean islands for Americans, because Saint Croix, St Thomas, St John and Buck Island Reef are counties of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), which is an unincorporated territory of the United States. As such, US laws apply and Americans do not need a passport to enter, although ID is required. St Croix is America's paradise island for golfing vacations and water activities such as scuba diving and snorkeling.

St Croix Virgin Islands was first inhabited in about 5000 BC, by indigenous people who called Saint Croix Ay-Ay. Sometime between 50 and 200 AD, the Arawaks arrived from South America and taught the Caribbeans pottery and agriculture, both of which were hitherto unknown.

Christopher Columbus arrived on St Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands on November 14, 1493 and named it Santa Cruz (Holy Cross). This visit led to a war which lasted over 100 years between the Spanish and the Caribs. The Spanish gave up the Virgin Islands at the end of this war. Soon afterwards, the Dutch and British settled the islands, but they too fought and the Dutch left. In 1650 the Spanish retook the islands, but the French soon retook them from them.

In 1660, the governor of St Kitts, Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy, gave the St Croix Virgin Islands to the Knights of Malta, who, five years later, sold them to the French West India Company. Governor Dubois made the St Croix profitable and started the tradition of plantations growing tobacco, cotton, sugar cane and indigo.

The economy of St Croix Virgin Islands declined after Dubois' death and the islands were sold to the Danish West India and Guinea Company in 1773. This company imposed no restrictions on settlement and pretty soon Spanish Sephardic Jews, Huguenots and British people moved in. The British came to dominate and sugar cane was the main crop.

Slavery was abolished in 1848, but a shipment of East Indians were indentured on St Croix Virgin Islands in 1862. A labour revolt by former slaves was started in 1878, reputedly led by four women, who were known as the 'Queens' of the revolt. The revolt was known as Fireburn and much of Frederiksted was burned to the ground.

In 1917, Denmark sold The Danish West Indies to the USA for $25 million in gold and the Americans backed Denmark's claim to Greenland. Look in the Christiansted National Historic Museum for more details.

In the 1960's agriculture was largely abandoned by the St Croix Virgin Islands in favour of heavy industry and tourism. Tourism grew rapidly until September 1972 when five masked men gunned down eight people at the Fountain Valley Golf Club, thereby exposing deep racial tensions.

St Croix Virgin Islands also lies in the path of major hurricanes. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit St Croix causing major devastation. lesser hurricanes struck causing damage in 1998, 1999 and 2008.

The inhabitants of St Croix Virgin Islands are US citizens, but pay local, not US taxes and have no voting rights in the mainland US elections.