Did You Know… Salt Was The Most Important Business on St. Maarten For Centuries?
(Picture courtesy of Amuseum Naturalis)
From Salt to Tourism
With its 37 scenic beaches, and massive cruise ships you might not think of St. Maarten / St. Martin history as something else than a visitors paradise to relax and spend holidays, but hospitality was not always the key income for St. Maarten. For many centuries, salt was a key resource of the island.
It was the Dutch, informed by spies in 1627 about the strategic Great Salt Pond salt deposits, who came to the island in 1631 with this spice in mind. In addition, the Dutch sought a halfway station between their colonies in north and south America, but salt was a needed commodity for this purpose too as it served to keep goods preserved on long voyages.
The French had already settled on the northern side of the island in 1629. Though initially founding plantations, they too were to develop salt harvesting near amongst others Grand Case and Orient Bay Beach.
After only two profitable years, the Spanish conquered St. Maarten / St. Martin and attempted to destroy the strategic asset of its arch enemy. They failed, but would possess the island until 1648, after which salt harvesting recommenced. It was only in 1733 however that commander John Philips of Philipsburg fame that would boost the output to an industrial level. During his 12 year tenure, he quadrupled the amount of salt mills from one to four.
True credits for the industry however deserve the salt pickers, slaves of African descent, who did the labor in the salt pans under appalling circumstances. Just imagine working under the hot Caribbean sun combined with dehydrating salt work, without a wage. In addition, salt would make scratches or wounds the more painful. Though slavery was abolished in 1863, it would still be the descendants of the former slaves picking salt at low wages for decades to come. Many of St. Maartens citizens descend from those who did this arduous work.
In 1852, the Rolandus Canal had been built for drainage of the pans. In 1862, the Foga steam engine powered mill was opened to further speed up this process.
Over time, new ways and locations of harvesting salt had been discovered, and the price of this once so precious spice had started to go down. The salt industry on the Dutch side ceased in 1949, whereas a Dutch side companies would harvest French side salt until the 1960s.
Monuments of the Salt Era
For those looking for historic remains of the salt trade, start in Philipsburg. The specially built bird platform provides a great view of what remains of the Great Salt Pond and offers signage explaining about its nature. There is still a salt warehouse in Philipsburg, now functioning as a restaurant. Along your route, pass by the Salt Pickers monument. At the location of the Hodge Pier, salt ships were loaded for departure. If you head down the boardwalk in the direction of the cruise port, you can still find the Rolandus Canal and a scenic bridge over it next to Azianas. The Heritage Museum close by has plenty to tell about the history of salt.
If you can’t get enough and decide to venture out for further exploration, you can still see the ruins of the Foga mill. Amuseum Naturalis on the French side also pays attention to the industry. The panorama deck at Rainforest Adventure Park also provides a view of the Salt Pond. And clearly, finish your salt inspired day at the famous Salt restaurant near Maho Beach!
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