What Is Salt River Bay National Historical Park?
This park preserves and protects the reefs and mangroves of the Salt River Bay, and commemorates the only place in U.S. territory where Christopher Columbus ever set foot!
What Makes It Historical?
On November 14, 1493, Christopher Columbus entered this bay looking for fresh water and promptly got into a fight with the local Taino, who had a ceremonial site and ball court (batey) here! Fought at Cabo de las Flechas (“Cape of the Arrows”), it was the first recorded fight between Europeans and Native folks in the Western Hemisphere! Needless to say, the crew was disappointed to find there wasn’t actually fresh water at the end of the bay and went on their way, but the location was recorded. By 1520, all the Taino on St. Croix had been exterminated!
A series of European powers then set up shop along Salt River Bay, based out of what is now the oldest earthen fort in the Western Hemisphere: the English in 1641 and 1645-1650, the Dutch in 1642 and 1645), and the French from 1650-1651 and 1665-1733! At last occupation, it was known as Fort Salé (Salt Fort). Very little remains of any of these historic settlements, as Gudmond Hatt, who excavated them for the Danish National Museum between 1922 and 1923, took all the artifacts back to Denmark, where they remain today!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer at Salt River Bay National Historical Park!
- Donate to Salt River Bay National Historical Park!
- Be a responsible visitor! Remember the old adages: Pack out what you pack in! Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints!
How Do I Get There?
GPS Coordinates:
17.77995502672998, -64.76184734351908
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit the Park?
When I visited, all facilities were still being reconstructed after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, so I guess whenever the mood strikes you!
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