BVI06 TOURIST DIRECTORY - Experience The British Virgin Islands

A Glimpse at BVI History
No history of the British Virgin Islands can
begin without acknowledging the presence of
the preColumbian, nomadic Amerindians. These
Indians, often referred to as peaceful Arawaks and
fierce Caribs, would voyage in canoes up and down
the length of the eastern Caribbean from a home
base in the Orinoco delta and make temporary
shore-side camps on the islands. Many archaeological
sites identifying Indian settlements have been found
in the BVI, particularly in Tortola.
The European discovery of the BVI is attributed
to Columbus, who sailed through the waters of the
archipelago in mid-November 1493. He named the
group Las Vírgenes (The Virgins) for two reasons.
First, St. Ursula’s Day had been celebrated recently,
and the legend of her sainthood describes her and
11,000 virgins resisting the advances of “ravaging
Huns.” Secondly, there were so many beautiful
islands, islets and cays in the group that the name
seemed appropriate.
For almost a century after their discovery by
Columbus, the islands lay quietly undisturbed.
Sir Francis Drake is known to have sailed through
the islands on a foray against the Spaniards in 1595,
and the channel through the islands is named for
him. For many years, the islands and cays provided
a haven for privateers, pirates and buccaneers.
Captain Kid, Sam Bellamy and Blackbeard are just a
few of the many rascals who reputedly cut a wake
through The Virgins, and there is solid evidence
of a huge pirate treasure that was buried on
Norman Island.
Eventually the islands were settled, and there
was some jockeying for supremacy between the
English and Dutch, until the former finally prevailed.
By the mid-1700s, the islands began to see the
beginning of the plantation era.
Slavery became largely responsible for the big
profits made from exported items like sugar,
BY JULIAN PUTLEY
molasses, rum and cotton, which, instead of
benefiting the islanders, enriched those in Liverpool,
Bristol and London. The British abolished the slave
trade in 1807, but emancipation did not come until
August 1834 when a proclamation was read at
the Sunday Morning Well in Road Town freeing
all slaves.
Along with the rise in prosperity came the threat
of attack from envious neighbours, and wars in
Europe were mirrored by wars in the islands.
Remnants of several forts around the island of
Tortola can still be seen today and Fort Burt,
overlooking Road Harbour and now a hotel,
commands a panoramic view.
The advent of a more modern BVI began in the
late 1960s. The islands’ infrastructure was improved
with updated telephone service and electricity supply.
A small airport was built at Beef Island and tourism
businesses began to spring up. Large and luxurious
charter yachts from St. Thomas began to frequent
the islands, and The Moorings — the world’s most
prestigious yacht chartering company — hoisted its
first sail at its small dock in Road Harbour at the end
of the decade. The luxurious Little Dix Resort on
Virgin Gorda, the brainchild of Laurence Rockefeller,
opened its doors in 1964.
In 1984, after a double taxation treaty with
the United States had expired, a law permitting
the formation of tax-free international business
corporations passed in the House of
Representatives. This led to what has become a
flourishing offshore financial destination. Tourism
and offshore finance are often appropriately
described as the “twin pillars” of the BVI’s economy.
Today, the British Virgin Islands has one of the
best standards of living in the Caribbean with a
thriving and robust economy. With friendly people, a
warm climate and pristine islands in a tropical sea,
the success story looks set to continue.
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS 9