The nearly five centuries of the Virgin Islands' cultural history is as colorful and enthralling as a carnival parade. Humans inhabited the area long before Columbus' arrival. Archaeological discoveries indicate that Indians, migrating northward in canoes from South America, lived on St. John at least as early as 710 B.C. They hunted and gathered foods primarily from the sea. Like most of its Caribbean neighbors, the island later (c. A.D. 100) supported a small population of Taino Indians who chose sheltered bays for villages, made pottery, and practiced agriculture.
Columbus may have named the islands, but no lasting European settlements were in place until the 1720s. Attracted by the lucrative prospects of cultivating sugar cane, the Danes took formal possession in 1694 and raised Danish colors in 1718, thereby establishing the first permanent European settlement on St. John at Estate Carolina in Coral Bay.
Rapid expansion followed, and by 1733 virtually all of St. John was taken up by 109 cane and cotton plantations. As the plantation economy grew, so did the demand for slaves. Many who were captured in West Africa were of tribal nobility and former slave owners themselves. In 1733, they revolted and an island-wide massacre of families occurred. Six months passed before the rebellion was quelled.
The emancipation of slaves in 1848 was one of several factors that led to the decline of St. John's plantations. The population plummeted, and by the early 20th century cattle and substance farming and bay rum production were the main industries.
By the end of the 19th century, St. John's had less than 1,000 inhabitants. The United States purchased the islands in 1917, and by the 1930's the seed of a tourism industry had sprouted. Word spread quickly of this "untouched" Caribbean paradise. In 1956, Rockefeller interests purchased land and transferred it to the Federal Government to be designated a national park. In 1962, boundaries were enlarged to include 5,650 acres of submerged lands.
Today the park works closely with local and Caribbean-wide conservation-minded interests to preserve the area's natural and cultural resources. In recognition of the significance of its natural resources, the park also is a part of the international network of biosphere reserves.
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