Page 1036 - Visitor Guides

TAkE A STROll BACk IN TImE

Journey to a faraway place — the past. Over the years, explorers, pirates, kings and queens have all sought

the natural splendor of our shores. Seven nations have governed our land, leaving behind a rich tapestry of
art, architecture, music and cuisine. All of which makes the perfect backdrop for an unscripted adventure.

HISTORIC TImElINE

2000 – 1521 BC: Native Indians inhabited the Virgin Islands and left their mark on
places like the Reef Bay Trail in St. John

1493: Christopher Columbus sailed into Salt River on St. Croix, claiming the islands for
Spain and renaming it “Santa Cruz”

1580-1670: The USVI was settled by Holland, France, England, Spain, Denmark and
the Knights of Malta

1672: The Danes established the first successful settlement on St. Thomas

1685: A treaty with the Dutch of Brandenburg established St. Thomas as a slave-trading post
1687: The Danish West India and Guinea Company acquired St. John and was settled in 1694

1733: St. Croix was added to the Danish West India and Guinea Company

1733: Slaves attacked Fort Frederiksvaern in St. John
1735: The town of Christiansted was established in St. Croix

1751: Frederiksted was established in St. Croix, designating the island as “Twin City”

1792: Denmark announced the cessation of the trade of humans
July 3, 1848: Freedom was granted to slaves on July 3, 1848, after a slave revolution on St. Croix
led by Moses “Buddhoe” Gottlieb, 17 years before emancipation in the United States
1861: The town of Taphus, now Charlotte Amalie, was built

1912: The first carnival was staged in the final years of Danish occupation and lapsed
during WWI, only to be fully revived in 1952

March 31, 1917: The Virgin Islands was purchased from Denmark for $25 million in gold
and became the U.S. Virgin Islands

February 25, 1927: U.S. citizenship was granted to the inhabitants of the Virgin Islands

1931: The USVI was placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior
1936: The Organic Act was instituted, allowing the President of the U.S. to designate
governors for the USVI
1944: Water Island was purchased by the United States for $10,000 from Denmark and was U S V I F U N F A C T
transferred to the local government in 1996, deeming it the “Last Virgin”
The first people arrived
1956: Laurance S. Rockefeller donated land to the U.S. National Park Service
in the U.S. Virgin Islands in
1970: The people of the U.S. Virgin Islands elected their first governor, Melvin H. Evans about 20 0 0 B.C. They were

2003: The Legislature passed a bill proclaiming Quelbe the official music of the Virgin Islands the first tourists to ex tend
4 their visit indefinitely. 5
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