Did Columbus Really Land on St. Croix?
It is commonly accepted that the first battle between Europeans and Native Americans was fought between Spaniards and Caribs on the island of St. Croix. Recent archeological research, however, has raised some questions as to the identity of the natives and possibly the location of the event. The story of the encounter goes like this: On the morning of November 14, 1493, seventeen ships under the command of Christopher Columbus, carrying 1,500 passengers, officers and crew, dropped anchor at what historians believe was Salt River Bay, on an island that Columbus named, Santa Cruz and today is called St. Croix. A party of thirty men went ashore in longboats to get fresh water, search for other provisions and make contact with the inhabitants, but as the Spaniards approached, the people of the small coastal village fled into the hills. Four women and four boys, captives of the natives, were left behind and taken prisoner by the Spaniards. The shore party and their prisoners were just about
