Indian Chief Travel Guides

A Brief History of St. Croix

On November 14, 1493, Christopher Columbus dropped anchor off Salt River on the island’s north coast. It was his second voyage to the New World. The small group of sailors sent ashore for water was attacked by fierce groups of Carib Indians. Columbus beat a hasty retreat. He named the island Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) and claimed it for Spain. The Indians called it Ay-Ay. The Spanish did little about their possession, concentrating instead on Puerto Rico. It wasn’t till 1625 that colonies appeared on St. Croix. There was an English settlement on one end of the island, Dutch on the other and, later, a French settlement appeared. The three were constantly battling until 1649, when the French took control of the island and renamed it St. Croix. Eventually title passed to the Knights of Malta, a religious order that tried to establish farms here, but were unsuccessful. In 1655, St. Croix was returned to France, who decided to abandon it, setting fire to the houses and fields before leaving for Hispaniola.

The Danes, who had colonized St. Thomas and St. John, purchased St. Croix in 1773 and the island flourished by producing sugar and rum. A slave uprising in 1848 persuaded Governor Peter Von Scholten to grant them independence. Alas, he did so before consulting his superiors and he was recalled to Denmark in disgrace. Without slave labor, the economy floundered, until the islands were purchased by the US in 1917.