Page 924 - Visitor Guides

The Amazing History of Saint Lucia The Creation of the
“Helen of the West Indies”

The first interactions between Englishmen and the Caribs appear to have been diplomatic, if not
friendly. Caribs were shrewd businessmen and knew how to gain a bargain. The Caribs sold cloth
and supplies from a Spanish shipwreck to the English settlers. They even sold a few huts.

The congeniality of the bargaining went sour, quickly. Word came by way of Caribs from
neighboring islands of British hostility toward their tribes. By exploiting the Englishmen’s lust
for gold the Caribs enticed a group of the survivors to accompany them on a gold expedition
into the mountains. They never returned. By the fifth week’s end nineteen of the 67 Englishmen
remained alive. Those 19 scrambled desperately into the sea and away from the island in a
dugout canoe.

Saint Lucia’s history is one of death and defeat, struggle and sabotage. From the earliest days
this splendid island has been more desired than gold, coveted as a tropical oasis and a strategic
military asset.
Changing hands between the French and the English no less than 14 times in 150 years no
Caribbean island can boast such a turbulent history. Provoking more bloodshed than even Helen
of Troy Saint Lucia has become “The Helen of the West Indies”.

Before the War
The first settlers of Saint Lucia were the peace-loving Arawak Indians around 200 A.D. They travelled
up the archipelago chain from South America via the Orinoco Basin, most probably moving to The Battle Begins
escape the warlike Caribs. By A.D. 800 the Caribs had expelled the Arawaks from Saint Lucia. About 34 years later Britain’s Earle of Carlisle attempted to colonize Saint Lucia. The king of
England had bestowed all Caribbean islands to the Earle, whom then appointed Andrew Judd as
While question remains whether Christopher Columbus or Juan de la Cosa discovered Governor of Saint Lucia. The Earle sent Judd, supplied with arms and men, bade him “good luck”
Saint Lucia, the first European to settle on the island was a pirate. Francois de Clerc and sent him on his way. Judd settled his colony and planted tobacco. That’s when 30 Carib boats
attacked Spanish ships passing his base at Pigeon Island. appeared on the horizon. Traveling from St. Vincent and Dominica each carried 100 men.

Fighting off the Europeans
On August 23rd 1605 a group of Englishmen en route to South America washed
ashore after a devastating storm. Already dangerously off course, with
provisions low and men desperate, 67 men from the Olive Branch decided
to settle on Saint Lucia.

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