WELCOME TO AN CHRISTIANSTED About the trail ST. CROIX ISLAND JOURNEY & this brochure FREDERIKSTED The St. Croix Heritage Trail As with many memorable journeys, there is no association with each site represent attributes found there, traverses the entire real beginning or end of the trail. You may want to start such as greathouse, windmill, nature, Key to Icons 28 mile length of St. your drive at either Christiansted or Frederiksted as a or viewscape. All St. Croix roads are not portrayed, so do not consider this Croix, linking the point of reference, or you can begin at a point close to Greathouse Your Guide to the where you’re staying. If you want to take it easy, you can a detailed road map. historic seaports of History, Culture, and Nature cover the trail in segments by following particular Sugar Mill of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Frederiksted and subroutes, such as the “East End Loop,” delineated on the Christiansted with the map. Chimney Please remember to drive on the left, fertile central plain, the The Heritage Trail will take you to three levels of sites: a remnant traffic rule bequeathed by our full-service Attractions that can be toured: Visitation Ruin Danish past. The speed limit along the mountainous Northside, Sites, like churches, with irregular hours; and Points of Trail ranges between 25 and 35 mph, We are proud that the St. Croix Church unless otherwise noted. Seat belts are Heritage Trail has been designated and the arid East End. The r Interest, which you can view, but are not open to the tl e u one of fifty Millennium Legacy Trails by public. Along the route you will find an assortment of mandatory, so “buckle up” at all times. At route, which follows modernized iane B © D Cemetery intersections look right first for oncoming the White House Millennium Council. These nationally 18th century roads, offers a wide amenities, such as gas stations, restaurants, shops and recognized trails symbolize the spirit of efforts to connect roadside vendors. traffic, then look left, right again, then cross-section of the island’s history, culture, landscapes, and outdoor activities. The Trail traces Von Scholten proceed with caution. As you look for sites the nation’s culture, heritage and communities. Brown and white Heritage Trail road signs with a School along the Trail, please be considerate of More information on this national system can be the evolution of the island, from pre-Columbian peoples through sugar and cotton plantations to sugar mill symbol are positioned to help guide you along Nature f o u n d a t w w w. m i l l e n n i u m t r a i l s . o r g Area vehicles behind you. You may need to pull cattle farms, homesteads, suburban communities, industrial complexes and tourist resorts to St. the Trail route. These signs do not mark a site location. over to the side of the road to study your Managed attractions and Overlook/ Croix in the 21st century. Pullover map or to ask for directions. Please do so visitation sites are generally with caution. Have a safe journey! Heritage attractions, recreational opportunities, local arts and crafts, churches, viewscapes, identified by some kind of agricultural traditions and St. Croix’s complex multi-component heritage are identified and signage; however, points of interpreted at several locations along the way. interest may not yet be marked. If Buckle Up! It’s V.I. Law! The American Express Company provided St. Croix’s history and culture have been shaped over the last you have trouble finding a major financial support for this brochure. particular place, don’t hesitate to 350 years by European planters and merchants, enslaved politely ask someone. You will St. Croix Heritage Trail Office Africans, free people of color, Caribbean immigrants and nearly always receive a courteous response, and it is a Hotel Caravelle,, 44-A44-A QuQueen Cross Street American settlers. Through war and peace, great prosperity good way to strike up a conversation. Remember to KEEP LEFT! Christiansted,, St.. Croix VI 00820 (340) 713-8563 (340) 772-0598 and grinding poverty, colonialism, insurrections and The brochure map also delineates the Trail route and identifies sites found along the way. Heritage [email protected] incessant struggle, their lives and folkways have been woven Attractions are designated by BOLD TEXT IN SMALL Important Virgin Islands Telephone into a colorful tapestry which their descendents are eager to CAPITALS. Visitor information for these sites can be found This important message is brought to you by Numbers e e share with you. remarkable diversity of this beautiful tropical in the Heritage Attractions section below. Visitation sites Police 778-2211 or 911 ol L a r V.I.A.R.A. © C are designated by Bold Italic Text. The icons shown inv Hospital 778-6311 or 911 Senepol Cattle at Pasture island, once called the “Garden of the Caribbean.” THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AUTO RENTAL ASSOCIATION Hospital 778-6311 or 911

Several historic churches of outstanding cultural and Outside the towns the Heritage Trail will take you by the Historic cemeteries, with inscribed tombstones of architectural value distinguish St. Croix. Of particular interest are the following churches built to accommodate the plantation workers in Crucians of all classes and nationalities, are associated with nearly Friedensthal Moravian Church just outside of Christiansted and the central plain: St. Ann’s Church at Estate Barren Spot, built in 1815 all of these churches. The Christiansted town cemetery is istoric ites hurches Friedensfeld Moravian Church at Estate Mon Bijou. Built in the on the site of an eighteenth century Roman Catholic chapel; Kingshill immediately adjacent to St. John’s Anglican Church. The H St. Croix is rich wSith historic sites associated with its plantation agriculture and overseas commerce. Everywhere you go along the C 1850s, both are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Lutheran Church built in 1912; St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Frederiksted town cemetery is directly across the street from Holy Heritage Trail you will see sugar plantation ruins (usually identified by windmill towers and/or chimneys), restored 18th and 19th century Heritage Trail will take you past Friedensthal as you enter Church, built in th 1930s. Two other interesting churches off the Trail Trinity Lutheran Church. greathouses, and abandoned plantation villages. Here and there you will pass by old schoolhouses or churches built to serve the plantation Christiansted from the west. are Holy Cross Anglican Churches and cemeteries are usually open for visitation. workers. Some of these historic places have been preserved and can be visited. (See Attractions section below). Others can only be viewed Other noteworthy churches in Christiansted: Lord God of Church, built in 1913 (at Feel free to stop by and visit, or attend a service. But please do so in from the roadside. When you are done touring by car, you can wander around the picturesque port towns of Frederiksted and Christiansted, Sabaoth Lutheran Church, built in 1744 by the Dutch Reformed the intersection of Rtes. 72 a respectful manner and with appropriate attire. where you will discover many fine shops and restaurants housed in ancient buildings. Congregation and transferred to the Lutheran Church in 1834; Holy and 669) and St. Luke’s Cross Roman Catholic Church, built in 1750 and extensively African Methodist e e remodeled after a fire in 1858; St. John’s Anglican Church, Episcopal Church, erected ol L a r

© C constructed originally in 1760 and restored after a fire in 1866. The i n 1 9 3 3 to ser ve t h e

Friedensfeld Midlands Moravian Church Steeple Building, now a museum within the Christiansted National r members of the St. Croix tl e

LANTATIONS u P The landscape of St. Croix is dotted with the ruins of over 300 Labor Union residing at Historic Site, was built in 1753 as a Lutheran church. The steeple was

Crucians are a religious people. The many churches iane B sugar, cotton, and cattle plantations that dominated Crucian economic, scattered throughout the island bear witness to this spirituality. They added in 1796. © D Estate Grove Place. social, and cultural life between 1750 and 1950. Ranging in size from 75 to also reflect the denominational diversity and religious tolerance that In Frederiksted you can enjoy St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic 750 acres, they encompassed the entire land mass outside the two towns. has characterized the island since Danish times. Lutherans, Anglicans, Church, an interesting blend of Gothic Revival and Spanish Mission Their evocative names - Wheel of Fortune, Barren Spot, Envy, Mary’s Fancy, Roman Catholics, Dutch Reformed, Moravians and Jews all styles constructed in 1848; Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, built in BARON BLUFF Adventure, Mt. Pleasant, Mt. Misery, Stoney Ground, Contentment, established places of worship during the 18th century. The Moravians 1792 on the site of the original church consecrated in 1771; St. Paul’s COLUMBUS HAM’S BLUFF LANDING Jealousy, Work and Rest, Profit, Bethlehem, Anna’s Hope - conjure up stories came as missionaries to convert the enslaved Africans, and their Anglican Church, built in 1812 and beautifully renovated after a fire SITE of the dreams, successes, and misfortunes of their former owners. A source LIGHTHOUSE success encouraged other faiths to follow suit. Since the 1920s the in 1998. SALT RIVER of short-term wealth to the Crucian plantocracy, the plantations were mainstream denominations have been joined by a host of sectarian 80 ESTATE RUST OP TWIST NATIONAL HAM’S HISTORICAL instruments of oppression and exploitation for enslaved and free working faiths. ESTATE ANNALY PARK BAY HAM’S BAY MA CLAIRMONT BAY people. Homestead Scenic RO Estate North Star R oad W O DAVIS Houses est N R 69 CAL ID SALT BAY A typical sugar plantation contained wind, animal, and steam mills Estate La Vallee ED 78 G JUDITH’S um O E 63 NIA RIVER WILLS us e HAM’S BLUFF VA CARAMBOLA RESOFANCYRT for grinding the sugar cane; a factory for processing crushed cane juice into LLE BAY n M LIGHTHOUSE MONK’S Y i o 73 SWEET sugar, rum, and molasses; shops for craftsmen; cattle and mule pens; a BATHS Estate Northside 80 BOTTOM North Shore

Estate Cane Bay d Overlook w o r k e r s ’ a SPRING 80 him Planta t Davis Bay Belvedere R o W S HAM’S ce n ic GARDEN Overlook village; wells, Castle Burke Plantation, circa 1833 ESTATE ANNALY PROSPECT BONNE 78 BAY M HAM’S BAY Scen A BAY 78HILL NICHOLAS ESPERANCE ic R RO DAVIS Estate North Star 78 Maroon Ridge water cisterns, and the planter’s greathouse, with an associated kitchen, domestic oad We ON Estate Mt. Victory C st R BAY 69 78 Overlook BIG ALE ID CANAAN MOUNT ROSE quarters, and other outbuildings. Stone well towers and watch houses were DO 78 GE MOUNTEstate Butler Bay FOUNTAIN 63 NIA WILLS NORTHPLEASANT HILL 78 Estate LA GRANDE VAL Maroon Ridge CARAMBOLA RESORT BUTLEREAGLE ST. JOHN sometimes placed in the cane fields and pastures that surrounded the settlement LEY BAY BAY BETSY’SHALL Morningstar PRINCESSE MONK’S Overlook West JEWEL ESTATE FOUNTAIN Estate Northside North Shore o ad Mt. Victory Estate complex. BATHS ic R CARAMBOLA GOLF COURSE Overlook cen School Concordia MOUNT S BLUE 73 The best-preserved sugar plantation sites are found at Estate Whim Plantation SPRING Davis Bay 78 ESTATE CREQUE Estate Annaly 75STEWART RATTAN GARDEN Overlook MOUNTAIN DAM Bodkin’s 75 PROSPECT 78 MT. WASHINGTON Museum near Frederiksted and Estate Little Princesse near Christiansted. Both HILL NICHOLAS NAVAL Mi79ll 58 765 75 HARD are full service attractions. Plantation ruins can also be explored at Estate Mt. Estate Mt. Victory TPRAARCKINGASOL PRAT ALL West End LABOR BIG STATION S H TROPICAL FOREST ROSE am Overlook Estate Butler Bay FOUNTAIN e D 763 MARY’S Washington, St. George Village Botanical Garden, the Lawaetz Museum at NORTH HILL 78 qu THE BUTLER re FANCY Central Plain Little La Grange, Estate Anna’s Hope, and Estate Butler Bay. Between October BAY HALL C GLYNN Overlook Mt. Victory ESTATE FOUNTAIN Friedensfeld CARAMBOLA GOLF COURSE SPRAT HERMITAGE PUNCH TWO and June the St. Croix Landmarks Society conducts monthly “Ruins Rambles” School MOUNT HOLE Moravian BONNE e OXFORD FRIENDS e Estate Church ESPERANCE CREQUE STEWART E ol L to otherwise inaccessible estates. In addition, several tour operators interpret ESTATE Estate Annaly m a r DAM Bodkin’s William MON a 72 ORANGE

© C MT. WASHINGTON historic ruins in their hiking, biking, and horseback riding excursions. n MONTPELLIER NAVAL Mill 69 c BIJOU GROVE The Windmill at Whim Plantation Museum 765 HARD i TRACKING 58 p West End a SPRAT HALL LABOR t JOLLY STATION TROPICAL FOREST i PLESSEN am Overlook o SION D 763 n HILL TROPICAL FOREST ue HILL eq Central Plain D r r BECK’S C i BOG OF 76 v RUBY Overlook Estate e GROVE ALLEN SPRAT PUNCH TWO River 73 63 Esta72 te St. Croix L.E.A.P. rederiksted & hristiansted HOLE Estate OXFORD FRIENDS FREDENSBORG SPRINGFIELD E Prosperity Estate Brooks Hill Estate CONSTITUTION F The Heritage Trail pivots around StC. Croix’s two historic seaports, Frederiksted on the west coast, and Christiansted on the north m William ORANGE JEALOUSY 76 a Grove HILL n MONTPELLIER ad shore. Carefully laid out in accordance with grid plans and strict building codes imposed by the Danes, these well-preserved towns feature c GROVE Ro i y Place p n LA REINE oga AWAETZ USEUM a ah L707 M Estate t JOLLY M Estate s o m e o f t h e f i n e s t c o l o n i a l a r c h i t e c t u r e i n t h e C a r i b b e a n . i PLESSEN o Estate AT LITTLE LA GRANGE Diamond-Ruby n HILL TROPICAL FOREST Sion Farm

D 72 BethleheEmSTATE Estate HOPE Greathouse r BECK’S i BOG OF 76 v UPPER CentralLA GRANGE Body Slob e GROVE CHRISTIANSTED FREDERIKSTED ALLEN WALDBERG- LOVE CASTLE FactorFyACTORY 75 SALLY’S 69 Cyril King 70GAARD 79 63 Estate St. Croix L.E.A.P. ST. GEORGE’S FANCY 705 Christiansted is distinguished by its wealth of neoclassic Frederiksted is characterized by a smaller scale, wider streets, and SPRINGFIELD BURKE Memorial CANE 70 Prosperity Estate Brooks Hill Estate HILL VALLEY ST. GEORGE VILLAGE buildings, arcaded streetscapes, and spacious waterfront square. charming Victorian architectural detailing. Founded in the 1750s, the town 76 Smithens Estate Grove 66BOTANICAL GARDEN Estate oad Garden St. Anne’s Barren Spot ny R Place Estate Estate Founded in 1735, the town flourished as the main shipping center languished until the second half of the 19th century, when it replaced oga LAWAETZ MUSEUM EDUCATIONAL 70 FREDERIKS Catholic Castle Mah Lower Love FREDERIKSTEDMarket Kingshill Clifton Hill AT LITTLE LA GRANGE COMPLEX Lutheran HAAB Church MOUNTAIN Coakley and seat of government between 1755 and 1871. The streets leading Christiansted as the main port and supported a vibrant community of craftsmen, ChimnFREDERIKSTEDey MINT St. Joseph’s ESTATE HOPE HARBOR ChurEstach te to the waterfront are lined with 2- and 3-story merchant shops and dockworkers, fishermen, small shopkeepers, and merchants. After being virtually LA GRANGE Lower Love 68 Roman Catholic WALDBERG- Pullover Kingshill Wheel of Fortune HOGENS68BORG COTTAGE Diamond Church planter townhouses dating from the early prosperous time. The destroyed during a labor insurrection called the “fire burn” in 1878, Frederiksted was FACTORY SALLY’S UNIVERSITY 70 GAARD Scho63ol School ST. GEORGE’S FANCY 705 OF THE ay CANE ghw street floors of these colonial buildings served as warehouses and quickly rebuilt by skilled local craftsmen influenced by the gingerbread style of the late VIRGIN ISLANDS TWO y Hi HILL VALLEY T EORGE ILLAGE 70 Mar S . G V PROFIT WILLIAMS een 64 CASSAVA businesses. Today they house stores and restaurants. Former living Victorian period. d/Qu 68DIAMOND GARDEN BOTANICAL GARDEN Roa CRUZAN RUM MARS rline FREDERIKS ente JERUSALEM ISTILLERY quarters on the upper floors, graced by shuttered windows and Frederiksted’s finest feature is Strand Street, with its beautiful waterfront Adventure TEstaWOte HILL64 Estate C D FREDERIKSTED HAAB MOUNTAIN dormers, have been converted into offices. Distinctive arched FREDERIKSTED GolBROdTHERSen Grove ConcorANdiaNABERG PEARL promenade and shops and restaurants shaded by arched colonnades. Its northern end MINT St. Joseph’s Greathouse BLESSING HOPE FIGTREE HARBOR Estate Whim Homestead HILL galleries provide shaded walkways along the building entrances. culminates in a broad waterfront plaza bordered by historic Fort Frederik, the island’s Roman Catholic PATIENCE SHANNON Wheel of Fortune HOGENSBORG Diamond Church 66 GROVE House WILLIAM’S 66 70 GROVE SMITHFIELD Here and there you come upon gateways opening to cool interior cruise pier, the Customs House, and Emancipation Park, whose name and statuary 63 School DELIGHT ay 70 CARLTON(HOVENSA OIL REFINERY) ghw courtyards and old warehouse arcades. TWO y Hi ESTATEWHIM commemorate the freedom fighters of 1848. 70 Mar HESSELBERG WILLIAMS een 64 PLANTATIONMUSEUM d/Qu DIAMOND HANNAH’S The town’s centerpiece is the Christiansted National The residential quarters of Christiansted and Frederiksted, formerly Roa CRUZAN RUM MANNING’S BILLY FRENCH MARS terline BAY 661 REST Estate Cen DISTILLERY KRAUSE PONDS Historic Site, which encompasses the historic waterfront square. inhabited by the free people of color, poor whites, and emancipated slaves, and more TWO HILL CAMPO 63 Concordia STONY ANGUILLA LAGOON BROTHERS GROUND RICO Here sailing ships docked to unload goods from Europe and North recently by Caribbean immigrants, are found at the edges of the commercial GOOD 66 Whim Homestead ENFIELD BETTY’S WHITERT HOPE HOPE America, and slaves from Africa, and left laden with sugar and rum. centers. They are characterized by small one- and two-story wood frame houses, House OHLSEN AIRPO GREEN CANEGARDEN WILLIAM’S 66 HENRY E. R LADY SMITHFIELD DELIGHT RUAN’S BAY Administered by the National Park Service, the site contains several with hip roofs and small inner yards. The yards provided communal outdoor 70 CARLTON 64 STATE HIM 66 BAY restored 18th century buildings that are open to the public: Fort HESSELBERG E W RANDALLWHITE’S CANE living space for several households. In these residential areas also can be PLANTATIONMUSEUM ESTATE Christiansvaern (with cannons still trained on the harbor HANNAH’S “DOC” JAMESBAY found most of the colonial churches which are discussed in the Churches 661 REST WEST END RACETRACK entrance), the Steeple Building Museum, the Danish Customs CAMPO SANEGLTPONDRO section. STONY 63 BAY GROUND RICO House, the Scale House, and the Danish West India & Guinea GOOD 66 Our historic towns can best be seen and appreciated on ENFIELD BETTY’SSANDY POINT LONG Company Warehouse, which also functioned as a slave market. WHITE HOPE GREEN HOPE foot. We highly recommend that you take walking tours, using LADY NATIONAL WILDLIFE POINT RUAN’S REFUGE either the self-guiding brochure provided by the Office of Tourism 66 BAY WHITE’S CANE or a knowledgeable tour operator. BAY ESTATE WEST END ttractions SALTPOND enslaved Africans forced Danish authorities to declare their A Christiansted National Historic Site - Administered by the Eco Hiking and Touring - Several knowledgeable eco-hiking emancipation in 1848. The surrounding area has been transformed SANDY POINT LONG National Park Service. companies offer fun & educational excursions which include cultural, NATIONAL WILDLIFE POINT into a beautiful park, with a bust of slave rebellion leader Buddhoe REFUGE This waterfront site historical, and ethnobotanical talks. and a dramatic statue of a freedom fighter blowing a conch shell features several restored Experience eastern hills above pristine shore, this attraction signaling emancipation. Featuring a museum and art gallery, the Fort 18th century buildings. Jack’s Bay, central p a s t u r e s a n d contains many archaeological is open Mon - Fri 8:30am-4pm, and Sat 1pm-4pm. Admission is free, Fort Christiansvaern is watersheds like Est. Hermitage, and and ecological treasures. Within its adult, $1 children. 692-2280 but a $1 donation is appreciated. 772-2021. On the nearby waterfront on cholten western ridges and rugged beachfront, is the picturesque vendor’s plaza, where you can purchase local art V S o p e n w e e k d a y s boundary is the Columbus Landing Site, Estate Whim Plantation exemplified by Maroon Ridge and and crafts on days when cruise ships are in port. 8am-5pm, weekends a National Historic Landmark that Museum - This beautifully 9am-5pm. Closed on Annaly Bay’s pools. Contact Ay-Ay Eco Hike’s Ras Lumumba Corriette commemorates the armed clash in 1493 between Lawaetz Museum at Little La Grange - At the edge of the e restored sugar estate, e for details. 772-4079 chools Christmas Day. ol L resident Caribs and soldiers from Columbus’ fleet tropical forest, nestled in a magical setting, this charming West Indian a r S featuring an elegant, Government House - © C Base Array Telescope - This 240-ton, 82-foot wide dish greathouse museum features original furnishings, photographs, Customs House, Christiansted anchored at the mouth of the Bay. Diving, kayaking, and sightseeing well-furnished 18th century Peter Von Scholten The imposing building antenna is a component of a radio telescope system designed to tours are available. 773-1460 greathouse, interprets heirlooms, and lore of a prominent Danish American family which s e r v e d a s on King Street is an outstanding example of the splendor of Danish penetrate deeply into the universe through the interception of radio St. George Village Botanical plantation life and lore has owned the property since 1896. Guided tours are available. Open

e Governor-General of the waves. It is part of the VLBA, or Very Long Baseline Array, which e colonial architecture and the Garden - An interesting blend of ol L Nov - Apr Tues - Sat, 10am-4pm; May - Oct Wed - Sat 10am-3pm. during and after the days of a r Danish West Indies from

o p u l a n ce o f t h e s u g a r consists of ten similar sites from Hawaii to the Virgin Islands. Group © C Admission is $6 adults, $2 children under 12. 772-0555 history and flora, the Garden is built slavery. Here, on 11 acres of Greathouse at Whim Plantation Museum 1827 to 1848. Among his plantation era. Its elegant tours can be arranged by special appointment only. 773-0196 upon 17 acres of a Native American manicured grounds, you can tour animal, wind, and steam mills for St. Croix LEAP - The Life Environmental Arts Project r e f o r m s w a s t h e ballroom was the site of festive Point Udall - The easternmost point of the United States settlement and the ruins of an 18th grinding sugarcane, taste local johnny cakes fried in the old kitchen, founded many years ago by noted woodworking artist Fletcher Pence establishment of eight gatherings hosted by the named for former Secretary of the Interior Stuart Udall, has beautiful century sugar plantation. Featured and shop at one of the finest gift stores on St. Croix. Open Nov 1 - Apr still thrives in the tropical forest north of Frederiksted, and is well schools on St. Croix to governors of the colony and is sea vistas. A hiking trail leads to some of the island’s most remote are exotic tropical plants and trees, a 30, Mon - Sat 10am-4pm; May 1 - Oct 31, Tues - Sat 10am-3pm. worth the drive. Island mahogany, tibet, and saman woods are help prepare enslaved r

tl e still used for government u beaches at Jack’s and Isaac’s Bays. A monument was constructed at the cactus garden and rain-forest walk. A Admission: $6 adults, $2 harvested from fallen trees and given new life as exquisite pieces of children for their eventual iane B functions. The building has Point to commemorate the new millennium. nursery and gift shop complete the children under 12. furniture, clocks, serving boards, countertops, and more. Open Mon freedom. Designed by the © D Government House, Christiansted undergone major historical Estate Little Princess - Established as a sugar plantation in area. Open Nov - Apr, seven days a week, 9am-5pm; May-Oct, Fort Frederik - Located - Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 10am-4:30pm. 772-0421 Governor-General Peter von Scholten r e n ow n e d D a n i s h renovation and preservation. You may take a glimpse of the the 1730s, this 24-acre Nature Conservancy preserve is being restored Tues-Sat 9am-4pm. Admission: $5 adults, $1 children. 692-2874 in Frederiksted, this fort, Estate Mt. Washington - The current owners of this former architect Albert Lovmand, these schools were first staffed by ballroom and walk through the courtyard weekdays 8am-5pm. No to create a community center for education and research. A self-guided Cruzan Rum Distillery - A sweet aroma permeates the begun in the 1750s, is a sugar estate discovered the ruins buried in the tropical forest in 1984 Moravian missionaries and later by educators who were previously admission charge. trail with interpretive signs meanders the estate ruins and ends up at warm air as you approach the rum distillery, where world-famous National Histor ic and have since rebuilt the animal mill bell tower, installed authentic pupils at these schools. The Heritage Trail will take you by several Apothecary Museum - Housed in its original location on a small beach with a splendid view of Christiansted Harbor. Open Cruzan Rum is still processed according to a centuries-old recipe. Landmark. In 1776 the wooden grinding machinery, stables, planted 14 acres in citrus and of these schools that are still in use as educational and community Queen Cross Street, this impressive display of pharmaceutical Mon - Fri 9am-2pm. Closed Federal holidays. Admission is $3. Groups Tour the factory and discover how our popular rum is made. Learn first salute from foreign avocado trees and converted the original stables into an intique shop centers: Diamond School, La Grande Princesse School, Peter’s Rest bottles and paraphernalia is open Monday through Saturday 10 am of ten or more are asked to make an appointment. 773-5575 the difference between light rum and dark rum, how varying proofs soil to the new national and interior decorating studio. The surrounding property is a School, and Kingshill School. The ruins of Mt. Victory School can e - 4pm. Admission is free. Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve are achieved, and sample a Cruzan Rum for yourself. Guided tours e flag of the United States designated wildlife sanctuary. Open during daylight hours. be seen along the Creque Dam Road, while the East Hill School has ol L a r

- Encompassing an extensive mangrove-lined estuary on the north are Monday - Friday, 9am-11:30am and 1pm-4:15pm. Admission: $4 © C was fired here. And here Free admission. 772-1026 been incorporated into a private residence. Fort Frederik PREHISTORY tenuous co-existence gave way to several years of internecine religious tolerance attracted a wide assortment of ethnic carpenters, coopers, wheelwrights, joiners, and blacksmiths. conflict, from which the French emerged victorious in 1650. migrants. Within a few decades, small Others worked as domestics, vendors, nurses, washerwomen, The earliest humans on St. Croix were here some 4,500 The French colony, based on the cultivation of tobacco, indigo, groups of Dutch, Irish, Scots, English, sailors, and fishermen. Large numbers of free people of color anguage & ayings IRDLIFE AND ORE years ago. The only trace found so far of these stone users is cotton and sugar, lasted until 1696, when the entire population and Sephardic Jews had settled established themselves and their L While English is the official Slanguage of St. Croix, you will B St. Croix boasts over 100 biLrd species. The best birding the remains of a temporary fishing camp. These people are was evacuated to modern day Haiti. alongside the Danes in the towns and families in the port towns of frequently hear Spanish and West Indian Creoles spoken. The local can be found at the salt ponds listed below. But as you traverse the Creole, called Crucian, grew out of the social interaction of enslaved Trail, have your navigator (not your driver!) be on the lookout for believed to have migrated from the Yucatan peninsula to the France maintained title to St. Croix from 1696 to 1733, countryside. With them came Frederiksted and Christiansted. Africans and European planters. It is English-based because that white-crowned pigeons on telephone lines, kestrels tending nests Greater Antilles and then across St. Croix and down the island but made no effort to occupy it. During this period, the thousands of enslaved laborers Through continuous acts of chain. Later, by 1A.D. pottery-making language, rather than Danish, predominated among the Europeans. at the top of sugar mills, smooth-billed anis congregating in the tropical wilderness reclaimed the island, which was periodically forcibly imported from Africa defiance, r unning away Also, English rather than Danish was taught in the schools before and bushes and our territorial bird, the bananaquit (sugarbird) raising people had come up from South America. and the surrounding Caribbean (maroonage), and incidents of after Emancipation. Crucian’s African influence is most obvious in a ruckus just about anywhere. The first of these waves of people were islands. Later, immigrants from rebellion, Africans also its grammar, syntax, and use in oration, story-telling, and proverbs. Knowing our colorful local names enriches your birding later known as the Igneri (Ancient Puerto Rico and the Lesser bequeathed the fierce spirit of The following local sayings give a sampling of the distinctive flavor experience: People). They are known as the Antilles joined the mix and freedom and independence that of Crucian. Pre-Taino peoples to archæologists contributed to the present has characterized the people of St. Black Witch = Smooth-billed Ani y t

ci e Cattle Gaulin’ = Cattle Egret today. lThe Taino, often called culture. Croix since the days of slavery. In o No fo’ want o’ tongue mek cattle can’ talk..

“Buddhoe” ks S Arawak, culture blossomed around Freedom Fighter John Gottleib The settlers cleared and cultivated the 1848 a bloodless rebellion by Pilikin Bird = Pelican God Almighty never shut He eye. e 1200 A.D. St. Croix was on the ix Landma r o

land using a slave-based plantation agricultural system geared enslaved Africans forced the r Killy-Killy = Kestrel ni Lan c C o T eastern boundary of the Taino. By to export markets. During the eighteenth Danish authorities to proclaim Antillean-Crested Hummingbird the St . f Yoh don’ smell goat dung till you muss it up.

the time of Columbus’ voyages the esy o century commerce was based on the Emancipation. t Colibri, Docta Bird = Hummingbird ou r people on St. Croix were fighting C export of sugar and cotton and the Thereafter, sugar production Maroon Freedom Fighter Gold teet don’ suit hog mout. e Chinchary = with the most recent wave from the “Queen Mary” ni Lan c

importation of foodstuffs and o Gray Kingbird

became less profitable, but continued as the island’s economic T De Devil tempt bu he don force. Kestrel (Killy-Killy) south, the Carib or Kalina peoples. plantation supplies from Europe mainstay until 1966, when the last crop was taken off. Physical evidence shows that the and North America. Experiments with alternative crops such as citrus, tomatoes, De longest prayer got an Amen. Sugarbird, Yellowbreast = Bananaquit Salt River site in particular was a Christiansted Harbor, circa 1790 Cotton, essentially coconuts, and agave proved unsuccessful. Today, cattle raising, White Head = White Crowned Pigeon major religious and cultural visited by pirates, woodcutters and indebted poor whites fleeing a poor man’s crop, was which began replacing sugar on many estates in the nineteenth If you mash ants, you will find ants’ guts. e

center. The only Taino ceremonial ball court found in the ni Lan c

from neighboring colonies. In 1733, Denmark bought St. Croix o grown predominantly on century, is the primary agricultural activity. St. Croix is famous T Lesser Antilles was discovered there in 1923. from France. The Danes, who wanted a plantation colony to the dry East End of the island. for its red Senepol cattle, a hardy breed which can be seen Monkey noh wha tree toh clime pon. Bananaquit(Sugarbird) On November 14, 1493, during his second voyage of complement their emerging free port at nearby St. Thomas, “King Sugar” was harvested Mani-Coo, Dumb Bird = grazing in the northside hills and valleys, and along the south Donkey got no business in a hos gyallup. exploration to the New World, Columbus sighted the island proceeded to subdivide the island into some 400 estates, each everywhere - even at the tops of the shore between the oil refinery and Great Pond. Mangrove Cuckoo

which the Caribs called Cibuquiera (“the stony land”) and approximately 150 acres in size. These tracts were sold off to highest mountains. It particularly Industry and tourism have dominated the economy since God live ah town, he live ah country. e Chicken Hawk = ni Lan c

o Red-Tailed Hawk which he named Santa Cruz (“Holy Cross”) - present-day St. aspiring planters from Denmark and the neighboring thrived on the fertile, the 1960s. One of the the largest oil refineries in the Western T Croix. At Salt River, a skirmish between Spaniards and Caribs Caribbean islands. The resultant plantation system structured well-watered soil of the flat Whe yoh glass deh foh meh bottle deh. Cattle Egret (Cattle Gaulin’) Hemisphere is located in the south central part of the island. Tortola Bird = resulted in a fatality on both sides. This hostile encounter Crucian life and landscape until the early 1960s. central plain along the south Big and small tourism resorts are clustered along the scenic Zenaida Dove constituted the first documented Native American resistance When guinea bird wing bruk, he seek Economic opportunity and Denmark’s reputation for coast. By 1800, St. Croix boasted north coast. Grass Sparrow = to European encroachment. Columbus named the scene of over 200 sugar plantations and had the company of hens. A Leader of the 1878 Black-faced Grassquit the encounter Cabo de las Flechas, or “Cape of the Arrows.” Frederiksted Fireburn become the fourth largest producer Thrushee = Unwavering Carib resistance to enslavement, as well as their in the Caribbean. As sugar expanded, Pearly-Eyed Thrasher e

practice of ritual cannibalism, served as the pretext for their cotton declined. By 1810 its cultivation had ceased. e ni Lan c

o Half Bird = T ni Lan c

extermination by the Spanish beginning in 1512. In the face o

African labor and agricultural traditions made this system Great Blue Heron (Gray Gaulin’) T Laughing Gull Frigatebird (Man-o-War Bird) of military raids from Puerto Rico, the Caribs had possible. Enslaved Africans cleared the dense tropical forest, permanently abandoned St. Croix by 1590. cultivated the soil and built the sugar mills, factories, Gray Gaulin’ = Weather Bird, y y y t greathouses, and villages that everywhere dotted the landscape. t t Great Blue Heron ci e ci e ci e o o o Man-o-War Bird = ks S HISTORY They planted, tended, harvested, and processed the export ks S ks S White Gaulin’ = e Magnificent Although Columbus claimed St. Croix for Spain in 1493, crops, as well as manned the carts and boats that transported Snowy Egret ni Lan c ix Landma r ix Landma r ix Landma r Frigatebird o o o o r r r T C the Spanish made no attempt to colonize the island. The first them to market. Resourceful African men and women also C C Pelican (Pilikin Bird) the St . the St . the St . f European settlers, a quarrelsome mixture of English, French supplied foodstuffs for the local market from their small f f For further information on birdwatching areas, contact esy o esy o esy o t t t ou r ou r ou r C and Dutch adventurers, took up residence in the 1630s. Their provision grounds. African contributions were not limited to C C The St. Croix Environmental Association at 340-773-1989. Cane Workers, circa 1890 Centerline Road (now Queen Mary Highway), circa 1860 Sunday Market Square, Christiansted, 1912

ecosystem found on the prevent the area from developing into deciduous forest. Instead, these around the margins of the island. Vegetation island depends primarily on areas develop into thorny woodlands. The yearly along the flat sand beaches includes coconut, the amount of rainfall. rainfall in these areas is 60-90 cm (25-35 manchineel (don’t touch this tree; it is toxic), opography & egetation Although St. Croix is only 28 in.). Here you will find acacia (locally Haiti-haiti, West Indian almond, sea grape, ATURAL ITES AND ROTECTED REAS miles long, the amount of called casha), tan-tan, f r a n g i p a n i , painkiller tree, acacia, and Puerto Rican Royal n St. Croix possesses many ecological treasures, several of which are being preserved for their value as natural areas and wildlife T V e N S P A The topography of the island of St. Croix varies from the mountainous rainfall varies greatly. The croton, prickly pear cactus, pipe Palm. Many beach plants are adapted to am p areas of the northwest, to central plains, to arid rolling hills toward the habitat. tsy C northwestern corner of the organ cactus, and many kinds of grasses. holding water in their leaves and stems, e east, to a broad, rolling plain along the southern coastline, and finally, © B Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, at the southwest corner of the island, was island has the greatest Cane Garden, Cotton Garden, and including the sea purselane and beach bean. Turk’s Head Cactus to fringing flat sand beaches. The highest amount of rainfall, Buck Island are examples of this Beach ecosystems are affected by the salt water, salt spray, intense established primarily to protect the March - June nesting grounds of endangered leatherback turtles.

point on St. Croix is Mount Eagle at 1165 n approximately 110-120 cm e kind of eco-system. sunlight, and strong winds. Along both the North Side Caledonia Gut, Annaly Bay, Wills Bay, and Creque Dam Road offer interesting hiking spots in the feet. Most of the island is made up of (45-55in.) of rain each year. am p Thorny woodland Road and the South Shore Road are areas of lush northwest corner of St. Croix. Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological tsy C ancient marine sediments, with eroded e This area is evergreen, and © B degenerates into thorny scrubland in savannah, grasslands with scattered Preserve, in addition to protecting a significant historical area, is the crown jewel of natural areas materials found in layers atop these dominated by large tropical Flamboyant isolated patches when the rainfall lightens to trees. These areas are dominated by sediments. Although igneous on St. Croix. The mangrove “forests” of this estuary were damaged extensively by Hurricane Hugo trees including kapok, mahogany, saman, sandbox, West Indian 40-80 cm (15-30 in.) yearly, especially near the guinea grass, with occasional calabash, and are being replanted by rocks underlie some of the almond, painkiller tree, and coconut palm. Bromeliads drip from the ocean, where salt spray impacts the vegetation. tamarind, tibet, white manjack, acacia, tan-tan, n island’s soils, St. Croix is e volunteers of the V.I. ReLeaf

am p trunks and branches of many trees. Termites nest in the crooks of trees Crotons, acacia, Turk’s cap cactus, heliotrope, and guava trees. Savannah areas are home to ust not a volcanic island. BUCK ISLAND REEF project of the St. Croix r tsy C e T

e large and small. Creque Dam Road, Mahogany Road, Caledonia Valley, many species of birds, lizards, and insects. Finally, and wild sage grow here. Thorny woodland can v

NATIONAL MONUMENT h i © B These volcanic rocks c Environmental Association r Passion Fruit and Cane Bay are all part of the subtropical moist forest ecosystem. be seen at Isaac Bay and East Point. Mangrove there are areas of vegetation A nle were left by n e SALT RIVER Deciduous forest can be found in the e forests are found where the land meets the sea, on St. Croix that have been planted for (SEA). am p

NATIONAL undersea volcanoes many years ago and were esy H dryer, eastern portion of the island near especially at Salt River, La Vallee, Great Pond, their unique qualities. Many introduced t tsy C HISTORICAL In addition to being a ou r e

just part of the marine sediments that make C PARK Cramer Park and Teague Bay. Here © B Southgate, West End, and other lagoons and salt species such as bougainvillea and well interpreted example of a “Ruins at Little Princess” Fritz Henle, 1948 up most of the island’s soils. rainfall is in the range of 80-110 cm Ginger Thomas ponds around the island. Red mangroves grow right flamboyant trees are colorful additions to

There are at least 8 major ecosystem types nle S t udio former working sugar plantation, The Nature Conservancy’s Estate e n JUDITH’S BUCK ISLAND REEF(30-45 in.) yearly. This type of forest is in the water, with black mangroves landward of the red mangroves, and our tropical island. Australian pine, e rep-resented on St. Croix, from an area ia H am p FANCY NATIONAL MONUMENTdominated by turpentine trees, tan-tan, white mangroves on dry land. Mangroves help hold the soil and provide hibiscus, African baobab, breadfruit, a r Little Princess near Christiansted is a nature preserve featuring trails

known locally as the “rainforest,” tsy C e esy M prickly pear, Ginger Thomas (also called habitat for countless species, from mussels to commercially-important banana, and India fig all have been t and marked vegetation. Buck Island National Monument has an © B really a subtropical moist forest, ou r African Tulip Tree C yellow cedar), tamarind, manjack, and fishes. Beaches can be found all introduced to St. Croix, and are planted to Great Pond, South Shore underwater snorkel trail for viewing fish, rays, corals, and an impressive n

to mangrove forests, to beaches, e pink cedar. This type of ecosystem is GREEN CAY brighten many roadsides, residences, and resorts. garden of other sea life. The island itself contains a lovely beach with picnic facilities and a hiking trail which climbs to the top to savannah, to thorny am p NATIONAL

tsy C shaped by periodic fires as well as scrubland. The type of e WILDLIFE for some superb views back to St. Croix. Green Cay National Wildlife Refuge, established to protect the St. Croix ground © B amount of rainfall. The east, PRUNE Mexican Creeper REFUGE lizard, is closed to the public above mean high tide. Jack’s and Isaac’s Bays, on the island’s far East End, beckon central, and southwestern parts BAY LA GRANDE CHENAY BAY COAKLEY CRAMER PARK dedicated hikers with a desire to see a remote beach. The 301-acre area, owned and managed by The Nature ST. JOHN PRINCESSE of St. Croix are shaped by fire and by grazing animals BAY SOLITUDE COTTONGARDEN PUBLIC BEACH BAY 82 Point Udall that BAY Millennium Conservancy as a nature preserve, protects flora and fauna from the ridge line to the coral reef. SOUTHGATE Estate Green Cay TEAGUE KNIGHT GREEN CAY La Grande COASTAL RESERVE Estate Coakley Bay 82 Monument St. Croix’s many saltponds are rich in resident and migratory birdlife. The mangroves surrounding the BAY BAY BASE ARRAY NATIONAL RATTAN 75 Princesse 82 YACHT WILDLIFE School BEAUREGARD Estate Shoys CLUB LONG TELESCOPE ponds are critical nursery habitat for juvenile fish. Kayakers find smooth paddling when the ponds are REFUGE79 BAY COTTON POINT CHRISTIANSTED HARBOR Buccaneer Hotel A PIECE full, and fishermen can be seen harvesting crabs from the mudflats. Following the Heritage Trail, you PRUNE ESTATE EAST HILL Estate Solitude VALLEY OF LAND LITTLE SCHOOL TEAGUE 60 will see Great Pond on the south shore and Southgate Pond out East. Elsewhere you will find West End BAY Mt. Roepstorff S CHENAY BAY CRAMERo PARKEstate BAY COAKLEY PRINCESS PROTESTANT u CASTEL GOAT HILLS PUBLIC BEt ACH Salt Pond near Sandy Point; Billy French Ponds near the oil refinery, and Altona Lagoon near Gallows BAY SOLITUDE ALTONA LAGOON COTTONGARDEN h Southgate CAY g Point Udall AURA BAY GALLO82WS BAY 82 a Farm ISAAC’S t e Millennium CATHERINA’S SLOB Bay (Christiansted). SOUTHGATE BAY BAY - TEAGUE KNIGHT Estate Green Cay G HOPE POND Estate Coakley Bay 82 60 Monument YELLOW BAY BAY r BASE ARRAY e ALL FOR 82 YACHT BOETZBERG a PLEASANT CLIFF RICHMOND MOUNT t LONG TELESCOPE THE BETTER WELCOME CLUB P VALLEY JACK’S 82 o SEVEN HOPE & CARTON GRAPETREE BAY RUCIAN ILDLIFE BELLEVUE COTTON L POINT n A PIECE BAY

ow MOUNT d R C W

EAST HILL Orange Estat75e SolituCdeHRISTIANSTEDVALLEY 62 HILLS HILL The most commonly seen mammal ry o OFTIP LANDPERARY TEAGUE ST. PETER’S 60 H PLEASANT SION SCHOOL Grove a TURNER S i Mt. Roepstorff 85 ll THE d along the trail is the mongoose, introduced o Estate BAY R GUMBS HOLE HILL u CASTEL o GOAT HILLS t a SIGHT LAND MADAME h Southgate 753 d in 1884 to kill rats that were destroying g BEESTON 70 AURA CARTY 82 a Farm BULOW’S ISAAC’S t RECOVERY e HILL CATHERINA’S SLOB MINDE Friedensthal BAY sugar cane. They run in leaps across the - LOWRY UNION AND HILLHOPE 60 G Moravian HILL MT. WASHINGTON r YELLOW CARINA MARIENHOJ WOOD e ALL FOR LITTLE road and seem to have better luck making BOETZBERG a CONSTITUTION PLEASANT Church PETER’SCLIFF t 60 COTTAGE THE BETTER sland ood

P HILL VALLEY PROFIT FARM d JACK’S it to the other side than do squirrels. They o 708 GRAPETREE BAY SEVEN ContentmeHOnt PE & CARTON a I F ELIZA’S SALLY’S

L n o BAY

ow MOUNT d MOUNT Nimyam. Just the sound of this local word for food makes R HILLS HILL R

Estate RETREAT FANCY may be cute, but they eat ground-nesting r o TIPPERARY GRASSY y t 62 H PLEASANT Estate HERMAN RETREAT Diami ond-Ruby a 70 THE 83 u TURNER ROD POINT your mouth water. Recipes and culinary traditions from Africa, Puerto d l e l SioTHEn Farm G 624 birds and lizards, and they destroy turtle R GUMBSHILL HOLE COTTON GROVE o GRANGE g BAY a GSIGHTreathouse MADAME n LAND i Rico and other Caribbean

d ni Lan c SPRING r eggs. What’s the plural of mongoose? Estate Estate o Peter’s Rest CARTY p T Anna’s Hope GUT S 79 School LA Great Pond 60 islands contribute to our local Mongoose (Answer: “mongoose dem.”) White-tailed UNION AND Estate Petronella 60 xploring SPRING PRESVALLEE HARTMANNS Overlook MARIENHOJ 70 MT. WASHINGTON WOOD ROBIN E menus. Kallaloo is a thick soup deer, introduced by planters in the 1770s for sport, find cover LITTLECATHERINE’S GARDEN 60 COTTAGE BAY 622 PROFIT REST PROSPECT dish that can include balls of island-wide in woodland and scrub and can sometimes be seen 66 SALLY’S Estate MUNSTER GREAT Peter’s Rest MOUNT HILL FANCY Castle 62 POND MOUNT fungi (cornmeal), conch, crabs, foraging in pastureland in the evenings. 62 Station RETREAT GRANGEGRASSY Coakley WORK ROD FANCY ulture 624 POINT Estate fish, hambone and okra in a ANDCOTTON GROVE BAY C Three endangered sea turtles nest on St. Croix. The REST Great Pond base made with the kallaloo 68 Estate You can find Crucian culture all around you. Check the local leatherback can be over six feet long and over 500 kilograms. March 85 THE n COTTAGE o 62 Great Pond 60 SPRING GREAT POND BAY newspapers and travel literature for announcements of cultural bu s h. Joh nny c ake s a re a r

60 l B to June is the nesting season; hatchlings emerge from May through Estate Petronella HARTMANNS Overlook e 622 h a ROBIN activities and performances. Drop into local restaurants and unleavened fried or baked i c CASSAVA August. The hawksbill, with its beautiful shell and beak-like jaw, 68 83BAY Estate Castle Nugent © M GARDEN nightspots. The best way to sample local food, music, dance and bread made of white flour. Lunch is Served GREAT CORN THE Estate often shares nesting beaches with the green turtle, named for the JERUSALEM62 POND MOUNT HILL SPRINGS Fareham performance is to attend the following cultural events: Souse is a stew made from pig’s head, tail and feet. Goatwater is a soup HUMBUG FANCY color of its body fat. Snorkelers occasionally spot turtles, particularly FIGTREE PEARLEstate GRANARD Estate Longford 62 made from goathead. Stew conch is a along the underwater trail at Buck Island. HILL Great Pond FAREHAM tasty way to prepare this popular RETREAT 62 BAY Three Kings’ Day Parade...... early January Iguana, whose bones have GREAT POND BAY gastropod. (HOVENSA OIL REFINERY) SPRING Estate BAY Agricultural Fair...... February been found in local kitchen Diamond Pigeon peas and rice (or arroz middens, were probably very Keturah Caribbean Dance Company Performances.... February Estate BILLY FRENCH whether it be on a stage, on a parade route, or driving past local con gandules) is a universal staple side common up until mongooses were Fareham PONDS HALFPENNY restaurants, bars and dance halls, include cariso, with its its message June dish. When you order provisions, you BAY n introduced. Most reported

Estate Canegarden o a r will most likely get yams, pumpkin, wrapped in song; calypso, whose lyrics are satiric; and soka, l B St. Patrick’s Day Parade ...... March e sightings of these scaly critters have

MANCHINEEL h a CANEGARDEN BAY Jamaican-based reggae. The Latin sounds of salsa, i c plantains, or arrowroot. Fillings for

© M been on the East End and along BAY Starving Artists Days (Whim) ...... March e merengue and bachata are heard from a few local groups Johnny cakes cookin’ pate, a fried turnover, can include salt Mahogany Road out west. A ni Lan c o August fish, beef, or vegetarian. Wash it all down with some refreshing maubi, T such as Liquid Sounds Brass and Mo’ Tempo. Puerto Iguana delightful time can be spent ance, usic, Ricans have introduced the cuatro to the Virgin Islands. November a frothy drink made from the watching the threatening posture of D M bark of the carob tree, ginger This guitar-family instrument has twelve strings and an Mango Melee (Botanical Gardens)...... late June a territorial tree lizard or anole as he ornate shape with violin-type curves. The dance-drumming root, yeast and herbs. Or try one inflates his dewlaps while doing Emancipation Day...... July 3 asquerade tradition known as bamboula is being taught to youngsters in of the many bush teas, which not mini-push-ups. The light-colored & M hopes of carrying on the link with African music and Hispanic Heritage Celebration ...... Sept - Oct only taste go o d, but are woodslave, a gecko thought to have e If you’re lucky, during your visit there may be a scheduled considered natural remedies for n dance. o

Liberty Day Celebration (Grove Place) ...... November 1 a r been a stowaway on slave ships l B e quadrille dance, a everything from insomnia to ni Lan c o h a The Caribbean D a n c e C o m p a n y, from Africa, is often seen at night T Crucian Christmas Festival ...... December asthma attacks. i c Anole performance of the established in 1977, is a professional touring © M stalking insects attracted to outside lights. St. Croix Heritage Christmas Spoken Here (Botanical Garden).. December Roti, pate, fritters, and salt fish cakes company carrying Virgin I s l a n d s t a l e n t Immigrants from Kallaloo crabs, one type of Dancers in their ultural ife throughout Europe, Canada and the U.S. Its Harbour Nights in Frederiksted ...... Wednesday nights Puerto Rico have brought us lechón, or pork, and arroz con pollo, rice land crab sometimes seen dangling C l bright madras, or an with chicken. Trinidadians have introduced roti, a spicy curry wrap. D a n c e S c h o o l i n Christiansted trains Christiansted Jump-Up Nights...... throughout the from strings at roadside fish stands, opportunity to hear St. Croix’s diverse young sters from kindergarten up. The And don’t forget to try some locally made hot sauce! can be found crawling around their one of St. Croix’s year heritage is preserved not only in us r

t C o m p a n y, i n i t s tradition of keeping Tropical fruits we delight in are often found at roadside e mud holes in stands of red mangroves. landmarks. It is also honored in lively scratch bands Randall “Doc” James Racetrack ...... most Sundays e ba P local musical idioms alive, The Cuatro generally has two local stands and local markets. Familiar to every cereal eater, here the At night, after a heavy rain, you might such as Blinky and d K the rituals of daily life, woven ha r performances a year. banana is turned into see residents collecting them with the R i c the Road-masters, e into st r aw baske ts and Woodson H.S. Cultural Ambassadors fritters, bread, puddings, aid of flashlights for use in kallaloo ni Lan c o lis concocted into spicy “Kallaloo” Bully and the Kafooners, Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights, or T i l and pies. The Indonesian soup. The most cumbersome of land

i H White-Tailed Deer

r During Crucian Christmas, Three King’s Day, and even St. e soup and filling “johnny cakes.” J Jamesy Brewster and his band. Tradition bearer and author Richard Patrick’s Day, parades carry on the ancient tradition of masquerading, Carambola, or “star fruit,” crabs, the purple-clawed hermit crab, or soldier crab, can be found Scratch Band Schrader, in his book “Maufe, Quelbe, and t’ing” says when Jamesy History speaks in Creole is very often a garnish for scrambling around the forest floor or coastal thickets in its shell languages, in stories and proverbs, in lively quelbe, calypso, and salsa performs, “trees shake their branches and grass bends down low.” You w h e r e m e n a n d RTS AND RAFTS women dress up in A C drinks or salads. Mango, home. We also have fiddler crabs, whose one enlarged claw is waved can find Schrader’s delightful island stories in local bookstores and rhythms, and the joyful music that reverberates from our churches. Basket weaving, construction of papaya, passion fruit, constantly as if to say “hello.” Look for the giant toad or crapaud, shops. assorted costumes and n

Crucian culture is a Creole culture, reflecting African and metal or clay coal pots, mahogany soursop, coconut and o move about town with a r brought to St. Croix in the 1930s to control cane insects, an l B European traditions, spiced with Latin, American, and even Arabic The quadrille, introduced through either the French islands furniture making, chair caning and tamarind are turned into e h a unsuccessful experiment. m u s i c a l i c

influences. The legacy of Africa is particularly evident in the cuisine, or through St. Croix’s English and Irish planters and managers, was © M a c c o m p a n i m e n t . needlework are among the craft delicious drinks, preserves, gestures, traditional healing practices, styling, music, dance, and originally meant for four couples in a square. For generations, St. Hot sauces, jams, chutneys, pies, tarts, spice cake, etc. Some of the characters traditions carried on to this day on St. chutneys and candies. If oral traditions. The European legacy derives primarily from the Gerard’s Hall in Frederiksted has had its floor filled with at these “tramps” Croix. your sweet tooth comes combined with a thirst, try some guapa, sugar promenading partners led by a caller and live music on stage. Dances REDITS large number of Scots-Irish who ran the plantations. Since there r The calabash gourd, or “gobi”, is cane juice, at Smithens Market stand on Queen Mary Highway. included queens, tl e Writers: George Tyson,C Nancy Buckingham, William Cissel were few resident Danes, and Danish language and culture was are also occasionally held at the Botanical Garden and at Harbour u made into bowls, utensils, purses and Fresh fish, conch, and lobster can be purchased at the

clowns, Zulus, Indians, iane B Design and Production: Michael Baron for Caribbean Design Group

never taught in the schools, the Danish element is not very Night in Frederiksted. © D Frederiksted or Ville LaReinefish bulls, devils, pirates, Talented teens playing pan musical instruments. The calabash and Photography: Diane Butler, Fritz Henle, Tina Henle, Carol Lee, pronounced except for urban architecture. Crucians are very proud Quelbe music, also called and Mother Hubbard. At today’s carnivals and parades you are more coconut are both made into bird feeders. markets. Choices of fish may include Richard “Keba” Petrus, Michael Baron

of their cultural heritage and eager to share it with visitors. scratch or fungi, consists of a ukulele Several other local crafts have evolved r yellowtail snapper, grouper, tuna, likely to see very elaborate and colorful costumes with sequins, tl e Archival Photos & Prints: banjo, a short-necked, four-string from the emergence of the tourism trade u wahoo, mahi-mahi, kingfish, or pot

feathers, and much more exposed flesh than in the olden-day tramps. iane B St. Croix Landmarks Society Library and Archives

banjo; the conga drum, played with a © D Troupes of stilt-walking mocko jumbies, with their veiled mysterious such as mocko jumbie dolls, palm frond Veronica Gordon, the calabash lady… fish, depending on seasonal Artists: Betsy Campen, Maria Henle, Jeri Hillis, Sally Hoyler, Toni Lance mallet or stick; the squash, a gourd faces, perform amazing jumps and turns to delighted on-lookers. hats and birds, shell crafts and availability. Technical Support: Jim Bierowski, Sondra Catts, Richard Schrader, Emy with serrated sides scratched with a adornments, and articles of There are a Thomas, Nina York, V.I. Children’s Seals, Puerto Rican Cuatro Project n ust r comb or wire-pronged stick; and the o

clothing made from madras. a r e T n u m b e r o f Printing: XXXX v l B h i e c r

steel, a triangle played with a metal h a A A f l o ur i s h i n g f i n e ar t i c r e s t a u r a n t s Brochure production made possible by: American Express Company, nle © M rod. Other instruments sometimes e community is evident from the Try it, you’ll like it throughout St. Virgin Islands Auto Rental Association, Hertz esy H playing the lead include guitar, bass, t ou r many galleries and studios Croix that serve local island cuisine, and some The St. Croix Heritage Trail is a joint project of the St. Croix Landmarks C n o Cy-ple’s Scratch Band, 1950 r saxaphone, or flute. The bass line often a r tl e

u Society and the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism. throughout St. Croix. In the of the hotels offer a weekly West Indian buffet. l B e h a

comes from the tailpipe, created from a length of exhaust pipe after i c iane B w inter there are many For a sampling of local fruits and vegetables you Project support comes from the Virgin Islands Government, American © M © D cars came to the island. Christmas is the time of year when quelbe is …and her calabash bowls and bags. non-profit organization can go to the marketplaces in Frederiksted, Express Company, Hotel Caravelle, EmCom, HOVENSA, Virgin Islands

lis Auto Rental Association, V.I. Anti-Litter and Beautification e i l e heard frequently - at parades, parties, and on the radio. fundraisers which feature works by these gifted artists. “St. Croix This Christiansted and La Reine early on a Saturday morning or look for i H ol L r Commission (St. Croix District), Gallows Bay Hardware, and Hertz. e J a r Other musical expressions you are likely to encounter,

© C Week” lists places to find local art. vendor stands and trucks along the Trail. Mocko Jumbies preserve an African tradition