St. Eustatius
the Golden Rock
More often known simply as "Statia", this tranquil little island with about 2900 inhabitants remains mostly undiscovered. The beaches aren't particularly stunning, the nightlife is virtually non-existent, and there are only a handful of places to stay, but for informed divers, hikers and other nature loving visitors, Statia is a favorite destination. Spend days underwater with shipwrecks and the submerged ruins of the old city, others touring historical Oranjestad including a visit to the restored 17th century Fort Oranje, and the rest hiking up and into the crater of an extinct volcano.
Tourism, particularly ecotourism, is evolving slowly and in 1996 a National Park System was set up to protect the pristine coral reefs, shipwrecks, woodlands, and rainforests on Statia. In fact the 33 sq km park system protects an area both on land and underwater that is nearly twice the size of the island itself.
In waters off the leeward coast on the islands west side, are the remains of the old city. Just a short swim for divers and snorkelers are sunken warehouses and the former city wall. Further offshore the ocean floor is littered with shipwrecks dating back over 200 years. Divers can still find glass shards from wine bottles & plates, Dutch clay pipes, an occasional cannonball, or the blue glass trading beads carried on slave ships in the 17th century. It is said these were the same glass beads used to purchase Manhattan.
Hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts will also appreciate the biodiversity and abundance of natural resources to be enjoyed. There are a dozen trails criss-crossing Statia's landscape, with the most notable being one that takes climbers to the 2000' summit of the Quill, an extinct volcano that dominates the southern end of the island. However, serious hikers won't quit until they've descended into the crater and returned back up to the rim. The rainforest up the slopes and in the crater nourishes a wide variety of tropical plants and flowers, 54 species of birds, and other wildlife. At the top, Oranjestad and the rest of Statia, can be clearly seen, plus there are incredible views of the neighboring islands of St. Maarten, Saba and St. Kitts.
In short, this is an island different from those more well known. There are no maddening crowds, no crime and no hurry. Instead it's a place to find peace and quiet, along with a taste of what life in the Caribbean used to be like.
History
Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, Sint Eustatius changed hands 22 times during the colonial era of the next 150 years. The Dutch West India Company first colonized the island in 1636, and through the 17th and 18th centuries, it thrived as a major trading center for sugar and other goods, as well as for slaves. Much of this was because unlike the British and French who burdened their colonies with heavy taxes and duties, the Dutch made Statia "duty-free" allowing merchants to circumvent those charges levied elsewhere by shipping goods via Statia. Although hard to envision today, the island at her zenith boasted over 20,000 inhabitants, with 300 ships a month visiting her shores.
It was during this time that the island became known as the Golden Rock, with an economy that also flourished by ignoring the trade embargoes between the great powers. At the time of the American Revolutionary War, Statia was the major supplier of arms and ammunition to the rebelling Thirteen Colonies in their fight against the British, and for a short time was the only link between Europe and the North American colonies. In fact Statia was the first foreign power to officially recognize the newly formed United States of America when cannon at Fort Oranje returned the 13-gun salute fired by the American warship Andria Doria, as it sailed into the island's harbor in November of 1776.
Unfortunately for Statia, the British ended up attacking the island, exiling the merchants, and ransacking their warehouses. Although the Dutch regained possession a few years later, the British invasion marked the end of Statia's predominance as a trade center. Ironically, U.S. independence and a peace treaty signed later between the U.S. and Britain in 1783 allowed the former American colonies to establish more direct trade routes and bypass Statia altogether. As the 18th century drew to a close, the island with it's population already declining, gradually lost any importance as a center for trading. Through the 19th and early 20th centuries Statia became and still remains a quiet island.
...continue to St. Eustatius Location Guide...