December 23rd- Cruz Bay, St. Johns

Cruz Bay, St. John

Today, Wednesday December 23^rd, we are anchored in the calm waters off Cruz Bay, St. John’s in the US Virgin Islands. Passengers are being tendered to shore for many activities but Jim and I plan to spend the day relaxing, reading and perhaps watching a movie.

Cruz Bay is the main town on the island of Saint John in the United States Virgin Islands. According to the 2000 Census, Cruz Bay has a population of 2,743 people. The people who bought our house in Bradenton- Monica and Bruce Munro-  moved from here to Bradenton. They had lived here 25 years and said so much had changed in recent years they were ready to get away. In addition her sister lives a few blocks from our former house.

Cruz Bay, located on the west coast of Saint John, is the island's largest commercial center and the location of the main port on Saint John. The primary access to Saint John is through Cruz Bay Harbor. Frequent barge and ferry, including car ferry, service connects Saint John to the neighboring more-developed island of Saint Thomas. Ferries also run regularly between Cruz Bay and Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands.

Cruz Bay is home to numerous shops and restaurants which are frequented by tourists and locals alike. The Virgin Islands National Park Visitor Center, the Elaine Sprauve Library, a post office, and a bank are also located in Cruz Bay.

Located three miles across the sea from the busy island of St. Thomas, laid back St. John’s is the least developed of the US Virgin Islands. While two-thirds of the pristine hills remain protected as a National Park, a bit of the Caribbean hustle and bustle has come to Cruz Bay. That must be some of the changes that the Monros wanted to avoid.

St. John has a complex history of diverse civilizations dating back more than a thousand years, all utilizing the land and the sea for survival. Archaeologists recovered artifacts and structural remains dating back to 900AD and discovered the site of a village occupied by the Taino, a peaceful indigenous group that lived in the area for many centuries.  However, there were no real permanent settlements until  the 1720s.

Attracted by the possibility of cultivating sugar cane for profit several European countries laid claim to St. John at that time. In the 18^th century sugar plantations dotted the steep hills of St. John, where slaves and free Danes and Dutchmen labored to harvest the cane that was sued to create sugar, molasses, and rum for export. The viability of sugar production as an economic activity began to deteriorate in the 19^th Century and sugar cultivation was gradually phased out.

After the emancipation of the slaves on St. John in 1848, sugar cane was no longer planted, and agricultural endeavors returned to subsistence farming. Around 1913, the population of St. John was 930 people. In 1917 the United States bought St. John from Denmark and by the 1930s the beginning of a tourist boom began.

The culture of the Virgin Islands is a fusion of African, European and North American cultures. The Dutch, French, and Danish contribute elements to the island’s music, art and literature, but the principle influence on modern Virgin Island culture comes from the African slaves brought over to work in the cane fields from the 17^th to the mid 19^th century.

The National Park Service has its headquarters near the waterfront in Cruz Bay as does U.S. Customs and Immigration.

We ate dinner last evening with John, the meteorologist, and Fran, the teacher’s aid originally from Jamaica.  When asked what they were doing today she smiled broadly saying, “I am an island girls. I’ve got to go to the beach.” I think that is what most of the shore excursions are here. We’ll be watching the action from a far and listening to hear tales at dinner tonight.