St. Thomas, along with St. John, St. Croix and Water Island make up the US Virgin Islands. Christopher Columbus visited and named them in 1493. They were uninhabited for 200 years, until buccaneers Blackbeard, Bluebeard, Captain Kidd, etc. called St. Thomas a pirate safe harbor. In 1917 America purchased the territory for $25 million in gold. As late as 1950 there were only a few hundred people on the islands. Things slowly changed beginning in 1956 when Virgin Islands National Park was dedicated. Pan Am began flying here and home rule came in 1970. Overnight the world discovered the virgin Islands.
It is definitely set up for tourism as stores were lined up adjacent to the dock. We had a great lunch at a local restaurant, then back to the ship. We didn't have much time here, but didn't need much.
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