1891 Reclus print VIEW ON SAINT CROIX, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (#66) |
Nice print titled Vue prise dans l'ile Sainte-Croix, from wood engraving with fine detail and clear impression, nice hand coloring, approx. page size is 28 x 18 cm, approx. image size is 19 x 13 cm. From La Nouvelle Géographie universelle, la terre et les hommes / The Earth and Its Inhabitants, great work of Elisee Reclus.
Saint Croix
largest island of the U.S. Virgin Islands, in the eastern
Caribbean Sea. It lies some 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Puerto Rico and 40
miles (65 km) south of St. Thomas. In the west some hills run parallel to the
coast, culminating in Mount Eagle (1,088 feet [332 metres]) and Blue Mountain
(1,096 feet [334 metres]). It is the only island of the group with an extensive
plain, most of which is cultivated. A meagre growth of secondary scrub has
replaced former seasonal forests, which were sacrificed for sugarcane
plantations. The town of Christiansted, on the northern coast, is the capital,
but Frederiksted, on the western coast, is commercially more significant.
Visited by Christopher Columbus, who named it Santa Cruz, St. Croix (both names
mean Holy Cross) was colonized by both the English and the Dutch in 1643, though
the latter were driven out after quarrels. As sugar production became more
profitable, St. Croix increased in attraction, and in 1650 the English
themselves were expelled by the Spanish, who in turn succumbed to French
conquest. In 1651 the Knights of Malta acquired St. Croix but resold it to the
French West India Company in 1665. It became a French colony in 1674 but during
1696–1733 was uninhabited. In 1733 the king of Denmark bought it; subsequently
it shared the general history of the Virgin Islands.
On September 17–18, 1989, St. Croix was devastated by a hurricane that destroyed
or damaged 90 percent of the island's buildings and left about 22,000 people
homeless. The island recovered with the help of copious aid from the U.S.
government.
Tourism is the keystone of the economy. The island's supply of potable water
from wells is supplemented by distilled seawater. The surrounding marine waters
are beginning to be exploited for game and commercial fishing and as a resource
for oceanographic laboratory studies. Rum—all that remains of a once-extensive
sugar industry—is distilled and exported along with other foodstuffs. Area 84
square miles (218 square km). Pop. (2000) 53,254; (2010) 50,601.largest island
of the U.S. Virgin Islands, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It lies some 65 miles
(105 km) southeast of Puerto Rico and 40 miles (65 km) south of St. Thomas. In
the west some hills run parallel to the coast, culminating in Mount Eagle (1,088
feet [332 metres]) and Blue Mountain (1,096 feet [334 metres]). It is the only
island of the group with an extensive plain, most of which is cultivated. A
meagre growth of secondary scrub has replaced former seasonal forests, which
were sacrificed for sugarcane plantations. The town of Christiansted, on the
northern coast, is the capital, but Frederiksted, on the western coast, is
commercially more significant.
Visited by Christopher Columbus, who named it Santa Cruz, St. Croix (both names
mean Holy Cross) was colonized by both the English and the Dutch in 1643, though
the latter were driven out after quarrels. As sugar production became more
profitable, St. Croix increased in attraction, and in 1650 the English
themselves were expelled by the Spanish, who in turn succumbed to French
conquest. In 1651 the Knights of Malta acquired St. Croix but resold it to the
French West India Company in 1665. It became a French colony in 1674 but during
1696–1733 was uninhabited. In 1733 the king of Denmark bought it; subsequently
it shared the general history of the Virgin Islands.
On September 17–18, 1989, St. Croix was devastated by a hurricane that destroyed
or damaged 90 percent of the island's buildings and left about 22,000 people
homeless. The island recovered with the help of copious aid from the U.S.
government.
Tourism is the keystone of the economy. The island's supply of potable water
from wells is supplemented by distilled seawater. The surrounding marine waters
are beginning to be exploited for game and commercial fishing and as a resource
for oceanographic laboratory studies. Rum—all that remains of a once-extensive
sugar industry—is distilled and exported along with other foodstuffs. Area 84
square miles (218 square km). Pop. (2000) 53,254; (2010) 50,601.