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St. Lucia was first settled by Arawak Indians around 200 A.D., though by 800 their
culture had been superseded by that of the Caribs. These early Amerindian cultures
called the island "Iouanalao" and "Hewanorra," meaning "Island of the Iguanas."
The
history of the island's European discovery is a bit hazy. It was long believed
that Columbus had discovered St. Lucia in 1502, but recent evidence suggests that
he merely sailed close by. An alternative discoverer is Juan de la Cosa, a lesser-known
explorer who had served at one time as Columbus' navigator. There are some indications
that de la Cosa may have discovered the island in 1499, although there is also
evidence suggesting that he didn't find the island until 1504. In any case, there
was no European presence established on the island until its settlement in the
1550s by the notorious buccaneer Francois le Clerc, a.k.a. Jambe de Bois, or Wooden
Leg. Peg-Leg le Clerc set up a fine little base on Pigeon Island, from whence
he issued forth to prey upon unwitting and treasure-laden Spanish galleons. Around
1600, the Dutch arrived, establishing a fortified base at Vieux Fort.
The first attempt at colonization occurred just a few years later, in 1605. An
unfortunate party of English colonists, headed to Guyana on the good ship Olive
Branch, landed on St. Lucia after having been blown off course. In all, sixty-seven
colonists waded ashore, where they purchased land and huts from the resident Caribs.
After a month, the party had been reduced to only nineteen, and those were soon
forced to flee from the Caribs in a canoe. A few decades later, in 1639, a second
party of English colonists under Sir Thomas Warner also failed in their settlement
attempt.
By mid-century the French had arrived, and had even "purchased" the island for
the French West India Company. Needless to say, the persevering British were less
than enchanted with this idea, and Anglo-French rivalry for the island continued
for more than a century and a half. The island's first settlements and towns were
all French, beginning with Soufriere in 1746. By 1780, twelve settlements and
a large number of sugar plantations had been established. Two years earlier, the
British launched their first invasion effort at the "Battle of Cul de Sac." By
1814, after a prolonged series of enormously destructive battles, the island was
finally theirs.
Over the next century St. Lucia settled into the stable democracy and multicultural
society that it is today. The country remained under the British crown until it
became independent within the British Commonwealth in 1979. Despite the length
of British rule, the island's French cultural legacy is still evident in its Creole
dialect. ."
In October 1983 President Zabriskie released me as zone leader in Barbados and
asked me during the last two months of my mission to open the island St. Lucia.
I took two companions, Elder Hudson from Pocatello Idaho and Elder Jackson from
Moses Lake Washington. We arrived and moved into a house on a peninsula just south
of Pidgeon Island outside of Castries. The house had originally been a British
prison and was still rather imposing with 2-3 feet thick walls of brick and stone.
However, the view was beautiful, and unlike most of the rest of the island the
water was drinkable without being boiled. At that time we were aware of three
LDS families on the island, all U.S. citizens that were students at the local
medical school. We formed a branch and began to proselyte. I left the island just
before Christmas, 1983, leaving Elder Hudson and Elder Jackson as companions."
-- Gordon R. Hale
"What about St Lucia, I know it was open for 3 years and had 54 members when they
kicked the elders out". ---Dan |
