St. Croix History Part I: A Story of Resilience and Change
Explore the forces that shaped St. Croix’s identity
The History of St. Croix (Part I)
The U.S. Virgin Islands are known for beautiful beaches, booming tourism, and friendly people. But beneath the postcard-perfect scenery lies a layered past shaped by tragedy, resilience, and generations who fought relentlessly for freedom and equality. This blog explores that deeper story, uncovering the island’s complex history, highlighting the cultural forces that shaped it, and guiding you to the places where those histories still live and breathe today.
Key notes
- An island shaped by conquest, resistance, and the brutal engine of the transatlantic slave trade.
- Rebellions like the 1733 uprising and the 1878 Fireburn redefined freedom, labor, and power in the Caribbean.
- St. Croix’s past is still alive in its forts, ruins, and landscapes that let you walk straight into history.
St. Croix is one of three large islands (and 50 small islets and cays) belonging to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Located about 40 miles east of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, the island of St. Croix has a three-branch government that was organized under the Organic Act of the Virgin Islands in 1936 and amended in 1954.
The people of St. Croix are U.S. citizens and have a nonvoting representative in the U.S. House of Representatives but do not vote in U.S. national elections. The island has its own governing body and operates under federal law.
The Past of St. Croix
The history of the island is categorically not a happy one, but one that demonstrates the power of culture in the face of adversity.
We are going way back, so to make things simple, here’s a timeline:
200 BCE: People from the Orinoco River basin (think Venezuela area) move to the island. These people spoke Arawakan, a widespread language spoken by Indigenous South Americans, and were primarily farmers and fishers. Over a period of roughly 1,400 years, the people developed culturally and geographically and became known as the Taíno people
1400s CE: The first (but certainly not the last) war and conflict occurs on the island when an opposing tribe, named the Carib, conquers the Taíno.
1493: Christopher Columbus sails the ocean blue, in this case, 1493. He finds St. Croix and the Carib people and promptly renames the island Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Vírgenes in honor of St. Ursula, patron saint of Cologne and of Catholic education, teachers, students, and a congregation of nuns dedicated to educating girls. Presumably, the Taíno and Carib tribes already had a name for the island, but regardless, the name sticks.
The Arrival of Columbus
The arrival of Columbus also marks the beginning of the establishment of the transatlantic slave trade from Europe to Africa to the Americas. We’ll touch on this later.
Now here’s where it gets a little complicated…
1555: A Spanish expedition defeats the Carib and claims the island for Spain. Spain was the first European country to claim land in the Caribbean islands. The transition of land ownership between the Carib people and Spain was not voluntary in the slightest. Upon arriving on the islands, the Spaniards brought hostility and a greed for land. The Carib people, who resisted European settlement, were seen as threats and were captured and forced to work. This transition destroyed the local culture, and many native people died from either violence or European diseases.
1625: Spain still owns the land, but English and French settlers were farming on St. Croix.
1650: By this time, the Spaniards had enough of the English and evicted the settlers while the French took over the island. This all happened in one year.
1663: The islands were then willed to the Hospitallers (or Knights of Malta), a religious military order that originated in Jerusalem. The Hospitallers sold it to the Dutch West India Company that same year.
The Dutch West India Company
The Dutch West India Company was founded in 1621 and created mainly to cause destruction against Spain and Portugal by striking at their colonies in the West Indies, South America, and on the west coast of Africa, essentially economic warfare.
1733: Denmark purchases St. Croix, and it becomes a major center for sugarcane production. Sugarcane production was originally carried out by convict labor, but as time progressed, enslaved people from Africa were brought to St. Croix and forced to work and produce the sugarcane.
This is where we take a pause and focus on the implications of the production of sugarcane in St. Croix…
The success of the Dutch West India Company and, by extension, Denmark, was built on the backs of enslaved individuals during this time. European countries used the transatlantic slave trade to force millions of African people to the Americas. St. Croix was a microcosm of this forced labor.
Slavery led by European powers was predominantly based on race and religion. People who would become enslaved were kidnapped as individuals or as entire villages. In some cases, the chiefs of the villages would barter with the Europeans and trade members of the tribe for goods, although the chief could be taken himself. Without going into too much detail, the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to St. Croix would have been under horrendous conditions.
The colonization by Europeans and subsequent importation of enslaved peoples not only changed cultural and environmental conditions in St. Croix but also in regions that lost millions of residents. The most heavily affected regions include the Bight of Benin, Bight of Biafra, the Gold Coast, Senegal and Gambia, Southeastern Africa, Upper Guinea, West Central Africa, and the Windward Coast.
Upon arrival in St. Croix, some enslaved people escaped by hiding or fleeing to neighboring islands. However, direct confrontation with colonial power occurred in multiple instances, including one on the island of St. John in 1733 when the enslaved population successfully seized control of the island for over six months. The rebellion of 1733 is commemorated with an annual Historic and Commemorative Tour on the island of St. John.
1848: Slavery was “abolished,” and enslaved people were “free.” However, former enslaved people continued to work for the plantations where they had been trapped before, and living conditions, health, education, and income did not improve. Essentially, “free” workers had no way to provide for themselves due to low wages and therefore remained stuck in the same cycle of plantation work.
1878: Working conditions caused unrest and culminated in a revolt referred to as Fireburn. The events of Fireburn began after commotion on the streets of Frederiksted led to a farm laborer being sent to the hospital due to police brutality. The commotion culminated in a riot as freed workers began to charge the fort at Frederiksted. As they were unable to penetrate the defenses of the fort, a fire was started in the surrounding area, and by the next morning around 50 plantations and the majority of Frederiksted were destroyed. Hence the name Fireburn.
Fireburn
In St. Croix today, multiple women are credited as symbols of resistance to colonial power. These women, Queen Mary, Queen Agnes, Queen Mathilda, and a woman named Susann Abrahamson, were sent to prison following the events of Fireburn.
1738–1749: Fort Christiansvaern, located in Christiansted, was built to defend the island from piracy and privateers. It also served as a prison.
1917: Following the events of Fireburn, labor conditions improved slightly, but the fight to have reasonable working conditions did not end until St. Croix was purchased from Denmark by the United States.
To continue learning about the history of St. Croix, look out for part two!
How can you experience history in St. Croix today?
Fort Christiansvaern
You can visit both Fort Frederiksted and Fort Christiansvaern, with Fort Christiansvaern offering an in-depth glimpse of life at the time. Fort Christiansvaern is located on the Christiansted National Historic Site, which offers seven acres of history and education.
A self-guided tour of the fort is available on the NPS (National Park Service) Mobile App.
- Address: 99 Church Street, Christiansted, VI 00820
- Hours: Daily from 8:30am–4:30pm, Welcome Center Hours: Monday – Wednesday, 9:00am – 4:00pm.
- Admission: $10 for a Standard Entrance Pass
Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve
Salt River Bay is a living museum on St. Croix, meaning that archaeological sites and ruins can be found in the ecosystem. The environment in the area tells the story of the early history of the island, and visitors can experience that history through tours, hikes, kayaking, and snorkeling.
- Address: Route 75 Salt River Bay, Christiansted 00820
- Hours: Due to Hurricane Damage the Visitor Center is not open, however, tours and opportunities to explore are still available. More information available at the Christiansted National Historic Site.
- Admission: Free
St. George Village Botanical Garden
Beautiful gardens that have preserved ruins of an 18th century plantation home. This is an amazing place to see how history and the environment interact.
- Address: 127 Estate St. George, Frederikstead, Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Hours: Daily from 9:00am to 3:00pm
- Admission: $2-$15
Little La Grange Farm & Lawaetz Museum
The Little La Grange Estate was used in the production of sugarcane during the mid-1700s. Visitors can experience what life would have been like at the time. The Little La Grange Farm was established in 2015 and operates as a working farm. Together, the site displays rich history while demonstrating how historic sites can transform and give back to the community.
- Address: #1 Ridge to Reef Farm Road, Frederikstead 00840
- Hours: Saturdays from 11am to 3pm
- Admission: $20
Conclusion
St. Croix’s story is far more than its turquoise waters and warm breezes. It is a place shaped by centuries of conflict, survival, and extraordinary cultural strength. From its Indigenous beginnings to the upheavals of European conquest, from the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade to the powerful acts of resistance that redefined its future, the island carries a history that is both difficult and essential to understand.
Today, that past is still present in its landscapes, its historic sites, and the communities who continue to honor the people who endured and fought for something better. Whether you’re exploring the quiet rooms of Fort Christiansvaern, drifting through the waters of Salt River Bay, or walking among the ruins at St. George Village, St. Croix offers a rare chance to experience history in a living, breathing way. And there is still so much more to uncover in part two.