(Reproduced from the Princess Cruises "Adventures Ashore" port guide)
Ever since Columbus discoverred what are now the U.S. Virgin Islands during his second voyage to the New World in 1493, they have proved to be an irresistible lure for more foreign powers than any other nation.
The flags of Spain, France, England, Holland, Denmark and the United States have all flown over these islands. The first successful colonization attempt commenced officially in 1666, when the Danes took possession of St. Thomas.
From 1700 to 1750, trade was on the upswing and prosperous merchants replaced buccaneers on Main Street. Then in 1764, King Frederick V declared St. Thomas a free port, which made this area the trading center of the West Indies by 1800.
When the governor-general granted freedom to the island's slaves in 1843, the economy suffered an immediate decline.
During World War I, the Americans became fearful that Denmark would fall to the Germans, making the Virgin Islands a German base in the Caribbean. In 1917, the U.S. bought the islands for a total of $25 million in gold.
Prosperity returned after WW II, primarily because of the islands free-port status and the increased availability of air and sea travel. In the late 1950's, St. Thomas moved in a new position of eminence as a tourist mecca.
Various pictures of St. Thomas