Page 36 - The Virgin Islands

KEY HISTORICAL DATES

KEY HISTORICAL DATES 1801 British gain control of islands.
1200BC to 1493AD Carib and Arawak tribes present. 1807-1815 British take St. Thomas and St. Croix during Napoleanic
1493 Christopher Columbus discovers the islands on his second voy- Wars, but return them to Denmark.
age to what he believed was India. 1848 Gov. General Peter von Scholten frees all Danish West Indies
1555 Spanish King Charles V claims islands. slaves.
1580 Sir Francis Drake sails the channel north of St. John and uses 1865 U.S. tries to buy the Danish West Indies.
St. Thomas to stage raids against Spanish ships, plus for attacks at San 1871 Charlotte Amalie is again made the capital.
Juan. 1902 U.S. again tries to buy the islands.
1625 St. Croix is settled by Dutch and British. 1917 U.S. at last buys the islands from Denmark to prevent Germany
1645 Dutch leave St. Croix. from making a submarine base.
1650 French take over at St. Croix. 1941 U.S. defense military base built on St. Thomas.
1653 French give St. Croix to Knights of Malta. 1956 Pres. Eisenhower creates V. I. National Park.
1666-1671 Denmark takes St. John and St. Thomas. Danish West In- 1960 Tourism to islands begins.
dia and Guinea Company formed for the purpose of trade. 1970 First popularly elected governor of islands.
1673 African slaves arrive at St. Thomas. 1989 Hurricane Hugo shreds St. Croix.
1685 St. Thomas a center for slave trading. 1995 Hurricane Marilyn smacks the islands.
1695 French leave St. Croix for good.

1717 Danes settle St. John.
1733 Great slave rebellion on St. Thomas. St. Croix is sold by France
to Danish West India Company.
1751 Frederiksted, St. Croix founded.
1755 Danish West India Company dissolved. Danish West Indies
capital moved to Chritiansted.
1764 St. Thomas is declared a free port for trade by Danish King Fred-
erik V.
1792 Danish abolish slave trading.