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Monday 28 april 2025 locAl
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            The Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins and its history


            (Oranjestad)—The  Bushiri-
            bana Gold Mill Ruins is one
            of the most visited places by
            tourists on the island, as it lies
            along the northern coast line
            near the mini pool and on
            the way to the Natural Bridge.
            Despite its seemingly plain
            appearance, this ruin repre-
            sents one of the most impor-
            tant histories of the island: The
            Aruban Gold Rush.

            Built in 1872 by English com-
            pany Aruba Island Gold Min-  enough to motivate a further  spread  among  the  locals                               the  gold  and  letting  it  at-
            ing Company Ltd, the gold    search, and the assignment  who  started  searching  for  Over the years, concession-  tach to quicksilver in order
            mill at Bushiribana was con-  was  discontinued  by  Printz  more gold. About 25 pounds  holding had seen different  to obtain pure gold. All these
            structed in the area where   himself.                     worth was found.             companies  from  around  processes were done at the
            most  gold  was  found  by                                                             the world, all of which used  Bushiribana Gold Mill.
            locals. The story of gold on   It wasn’t until 100 years lat-  At the same time, the Aruban  primitive  methods  to  dig
            Aruba actually dates back    er,  in  1824,  when  a  young  government took immediate  and  carve  out  gold  from  The gold mill itself had a short
            to 1725, when a first explo-  boy  found  a  lump  of  gold  actions, and informed Cura-  the rocks. Aruba Island Gold  life-span:  only  10  years  in
            ration for gold on the island   while  out  herding  his  fa-  cao that gold was found. At  Mining Company Ltd. was no  service, but its structure re-
            was  commissioned  by  the   ther’s sheep. His father took  first, everyone could look for  different, but used a unique  mained relatively solid till this
            Dutch West India Company.    it to a local merchant who  gold, as long as they sold it to  method that involved grind-  day, and is now a historical
            Under the leadership of Mr.   then sold the lump for $70.  the government. However,  ing the rocks and letting the  remnant.q
            Paulus  Printz,  a  three-year   Unbeknownst  to  the  boy  after some time, the govern-  dust be blown away by the
            search was conducted on      and  his  father,  they  quite  ment decided to implement  strong northeast wind, leav-  Sources: Etnia Nativa & gold-
            Aruba, to no avail. Though   literally struck gold, and as  stricter rules and banned lo-  ing clumps of gold behind.     mineranch.com.
            they found some gold, it was   word got out, a gold fever  cal search parties.         The  next  step  was  melting


            Meet Aruba’s biggest hero

            Boy Ecury



            (Oranjestad)—This  past  May  4th,  ies abroad. This was in 1937, three
            Aruba  as  well  as  The  Netherlands  years before WWII broke out.
            commemorated  those  who  sadly  During the war, he actively partici-
            perished during the Second World  pated in the rebellion in The Neth-
            War. As is known around the globe,  erlands  against  the  Nazi  regime,
            this chapter in world history is one  but  his  rebellious  streak  and  con-
            of  the  most  tragic  yet,  and  many  stant drive to fight for justice began
            soldiers  and  rebels  have  died  on  even before the war broke out. Be-
            the frontline during this time.     ing a person of color with a Haitian
                                                heritage  living  in  The  Netherlands
            One  of  those  rebels  who  have  made  him  vulnerable  to  discrimi-  helped  people  go  into  hiding,  as  was  arrested  by  German  soldiers.
            fought  against  the  Nazi  regime,  nation, and this inspired him to be  well  as  opened  fire  against  allies  He  was  placed  in  the  “Oranje-
            was  an  Aruban  named  Segundo  an  activist,  to  stand  up  and  fight  of the Nazi regime. In these oper-  hotel” prison in Scheveningen, The
            Jorge Adelberto “Boy” Ecury. Born  against  discrimination  and  op-    ations, Boy really stood out for his  Hague, where he was questioned.
            in  Aruba  on  April  23rd,  1922,  Boy  pression.    After  seeing  the  horrific  cold bloodedness.       Despite  being  given  away  by  an
            spent his childhood on the island,  bombings of Rotterdam first-hand,  In 1943, he received a notice to be  acquaintance,  he  himself  never
            before  being  sent  to  The  Nether-  he decided to join the resistance.  placed  for  work  in  Germany.  This  gave away the names of his com-
            lands  by  his  father  when  he  was  At the same time, he was still study-  he  refused,  of  course,  and  went  rades.  Famously,  he  told  his  cell
            15  years  old  to  continue  his  stud-  ing and living with family in Tilburg.  into hiding using multiple address-  mate: “I will die with a smile on my
                                                It was there where he met people  es  in  multiple  cities.  Because  he  face.”
                                                who  printed  and  distributed  the  was a wanted man, he of course  On November 6th, 1944, Ecury was
                                                rebellion  newspaper.  This  would  could  not  continue  to  be  active  executed.  He  was  only  22  years
                                                be the first of three rebellion group  as a rebel. However, stubborn and  old.
                                                that  he  would  join  throughout  his  naturally  rebellious  as  he  was,  he  Ecury was buried with military hon-
                                                4-year service to the resistance.   always tried to join in on the opera-  or.  In  1949,  the  Aruban  Govern-
                                                Boy’s  primary  task  as  member  of  tions regardless.                 ment erected a monumental bust
                                                the group was to distract the Ger-  In 1944, after his friend Luis de Lan-  of him in front of what is now the
                                                man  soldiers  while  others  ran  into  noy, a fellow rebel from Curacao,  linear park trail, and in 1984 he re-
                                                hiding  into  alleyways.  This  he  was  was  arrested  and  executed,  he  ceived  the  Resistance  Memorial
                                                able  to  do  because  of  his  skin  moved  to  Delft,  where  he  joined  Cross postmortem.
                                                color  and  confronting  demeanor.  his  third  and  last  group  in  Rotter-  Boy’s life motto was this: “In my fa-
                                                Boy also participated in the multi-  dam. During this time, he wrote a  ther’s house, there is no place for a
                                                ple sabotaging operations against  goodbye letter for his family, pos-  traitor.” q
                                                the  German  military  occupying  sibly knowing the risks of him being
                                                The  Netherlands.  These  included  active again in the big cities.       Source: “De Kolibrie op de Rots (en
                                                bombings  on  German  military  Eventually, he proved himself right.       meer over the geschiedenis van
                                                trucks  and  trains.  The  group  also  On November 5th, 1944, Boy Ecury      Aruba)” by Evert Bongers.
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