Excerpt
The U.S. Virgin Islands were discovered by Columbus on his second voyage in 1493. His choice of names has long puzzled historians. While sailing among the lushly fertile, gently rounded, warm and welcoming islets after a long, hard voyage, Columbus apparently was reminded of St. Ursula. According to legend, Ursula herself undertook a long voyage of her own, accompanied by 11,000 virgins. Tragically, they were all raped and killed.//All well and good, but historians-who have obviously never spent prolonged, celibate periods at sea-cannot figure out why Columbus didn't name the new land St. Ursula. It would go nicely with the other saintly names, John, Thomas and Croix. Perhaps it was the virgins Columbus fixated on. Columbus singled out one voluptuous land mass--obviously a favorite--as his "Fat Virgin"(Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands.)//Columbus apparently found the islands more compelling than did later visitors. The British and Dutch came and saw and split. The French took control in 1650, laying out townsites, plantations and forts, but left by the end of that century.//By 1733, the Danes controlled the islands, with the intent of turning sugar into gold, and lots of it. St. Croix, the largest and flattest island, was a natural for sugar cultivation and became the leading sugar cane producer by 1750. Slaves were imported to work the fields in 1763. Sugar brought St. Thomas and St. Croix great wealth, and planters commissioned the elaborate, substantial buildings you see standing today. Few other islands can boast such attractive and durable structures.