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Virgin Islands View August 1966

click to enlarge

Maureen Anderson, who worked at the Virgin Islands Hotel in 1966 was kind enough to lend me this edition of the Virgin Islands View Magazine published in August of 1966. The photo on the left was taken in 1966 during an Air France promotion at the Virgin Islands Hotel on St. Thomas.  The cute young lady in the first row is Maureen and the black man in the last row is Tiger Haynes.

“Tiger Haynes (December 13, 1914 – February 14, 1994) was an American actor and musical performer. He was born as George Haynes in Frederiksted, St. Croix, and moved to New York when he was a boy. An ex-boxer, Haynes played guitar with The Three Flames from 1945 to 1956, a group which had its own NBC radio show in the mid-1940s and a television show on NBC television in 1949. He made his mainstream Broadway debut in Leonard Sillman’s musical revue New Faces of 1956.[3] He is best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man in the original Broadway cast of the the Wiz. He also made several television appearances on programs such as The Cosby Show (1989) and In the Heat of the Night (1989), as well as numerous minor film appearances in films such as All That Jazz (1979) and Ratboy (1986)” From the Wikipedia website.

Virgin Islands View

A.H. Riise, St. Thomas 1966

Scott Hotel St. Thomas Virgin islands 1966

Scooter Rental

A lot has changed since 1966., one of the most the most obvious being prices. Check it out.

At A.H. Riise offered Johnie walker Red Label Scotch for $2.75/bottle, Mateus Rose wine for $1.50/bottle.

At the Scott Hotel off season rates were as low as $9.00/night for a single and $16.00/night for a double. High season rates were $14.00 to $18.00/night for a single and $22.00 to $28.00/night for a double. Swimming pool and a shower in every room!

And a Honda 90 could be rented for $7.00/day or $38.00 for the whole week.

Parachute Jumpers, St. Thomas 1966

Frenchman's Bay St. Thomas 1966

Here’s some more images. On the left were the parachute jumpers who jumped every Sunday. The instructor in the center is Don Dewerd from Hull Bay. On the right is the view from Frenchman’s Bay before development

Press Release:

St. Thomas Blues Festival

FRIDAY – JANUARY 22nd – 8:00 pm
At the Reichhold Center at the University of the Virgin Islands

Starring
Curtis Salgado, Trampled Under Foot & Eden Brent

Tickets for the 1st Annual Johnnie Walker St. Thomas Blues Festival are now available at the following locations:

Reichhold Center Box Office
VI Bridal & Tuxedo – Tutu Park Mall
Home Again – Red Hook Plaza
Eccentric Shoe Boutique – Town
Urban Threadz – Buccaneer Mall @ Havensight
Connections – St. John

Please note that tickets are going quite fast so make sure you get yours.

For further information go to stthomasbluesfestival.com
or contact Steve Simon at stevesimonlive@yahoo.com or at 340-643-6475

Ice on St. Thomas, Danish West Indies 1856
“The use of ice in St. Thomas, as in all large tropical towns, has become so common that ice is considered an indispensable article in daily housekeeping; every day all reasonably prosperous families receive certain quantity of ice from the Ice House. Only he who has felt the burning rays of the the tropical sun is able to comprehend the refreshing and invigorating experience of enjoying ice chilled beverages, it is generally agreed among doctors that the large consumption of ice has contributed greatly towards improving health conditions. But how is it possible to procure such large quantities of ice when the temperature rarely goes below 25 degrees C., (77 degrees F.) or to keep water frozen here when it so readily evaporates?

“In order to understand this, we must request that the reader accompany us to Wenham Lake near Boston. It has been freezing hard for several days and hundreds of people are busily working on the thick, glacial surface of the ice. Some are engaged in sweeping away the snow, others in sawing six inch deep furrows in the ice into regular blocks. After receiving a strong blow, they fall apart and are transported by horses to the large ice storage house by the shore. When spring arrives, these large blocks of ice are transported in railroad cars to dispatch terminals in Boston. The ships carrying ice are lined with hay or sawdust, and into these are loaded one block right next to another so that the entire cargo forms one large connected mass of ice. In St. Thomas, the ice is kept in local ice houses, large wooden structures with double or triple layered walls, the intervening space filled with ashes or sawdust, which protect completely against the effect of the burning sun rays. In this manner, over 200,00 tons of ice are exported annually from Wenham to the West Indies, Calcutta, Manila, Canton and other places. In Calcutta, a cargo of ice is paid for with a corresponding weight in cotton. There is hardly any place able to compete with Boston over this export commodity, as the ice of this lake resists to an unusual degree the effect of heat. The reason is that the lake receives no effluence of rivers but only that of springs; therefore, the water is extraordinarily clean, and moreover holds a lot of cold as it freezes at a very low temperature. This supply of ice has also brought along another advantage  for the inhabitants of St. Thomas. The prosperous merchant can now, in addition to the produce of the tropics, also provide for his table North American vegetable, fruits. oysters, newly churned butter, etc.”

From: Islands of Beauty and Bounty Translated by Nina York from the publication, “Dansk Vestindien,” 1856

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas DWI 1856

Soon after coming to the Virgin Islands in 1969, I made two major purchases, a 1954 Mercedes Benz with running boards and a four speed shift on the steering column and a 16-foot fiberglass runabout with a 35-horsepower Johnson engine.

I have loved boats for as long as I can remember, which goes back to being about four years old, with my mom and dad, who had a small boat named after me, which they kept on City Island in the Bronx.

But now, I was in boat heaven, the Virgin Islands, venturing farther and farther from the home port, Charlotte Amalie Harbor on St. Thomas.

One day I met a nice young couple who suggested a camping trip to one of the many “deserted tropical islands,” which beckoned to be savored and explored. Sounded like a great idea to me!

Let me say, that although I had a great deal of experience with small boats, it was all on the American mainland. Tropical-island-wise and camping-wise, I was a complete novice. However, my new friends expressed a proficiency with camping out, needing only bare bones equipment and supplies, and we soon resolved to put together an overnight camp on a deserted tropical Virgin Island.

We headed out one morning not long afterward. For a reason that I can’t remember, probably no real reason at all, we chose the island of Great Thatch as our camping venue, ignorant of the fact that it was in the British and not the American Virgins, but in those days it hardly mattered.

We made it in to the beach through the shallow reef that extends the full length of the beach on the island’s south coast without incident (to this day I don’t know how) and set up a rudimentary camp, which consisted of a lean-to covered by a piece of canvas. We spent the day snorkeling, fishing, picnicking and walking around the beach, the interior of the island being for the most part inaccessible to us either because of the thick bush or the steep hillsides. At night we made a fire, cooked up a fish and some potatoes and retired for a night that I remember as being somewhat uncomfortable, due to lack of a soft mattress, the occasional rats that boldly approached wherever there was any food and the not so occasional mosquitoes and sand flies against which chemical warfare was declared.

On the positive side, the night sky on that moonless night, which in those days was almost completely unchallenged by the loom of electric lights from Tortola, St. John, or the east end of St. Thomas, provided us with a sky that contained more stars than I had ever seen before or have ever seen since.

Virgin Islands Scorpion

I awoke early in the morning to a powerful stinging sensation on my leg. Looking down I saw that I had been stung by a rather large and evil-looking scorpion. I had never even seen a scorpion before and I was, shall we say, “concerned.”

I didn’t know what to do, if anything, and I woke up my new friends hoping that they would know something.

The guy was like me, clueless, but his girlfriend seemed to know something about scorpions.

“They’re poisonous,” she explained, “very poisonous!

“Are you sure?” I asked the girl.

“Absolutely,” she answered.

“Oh great,” I thought to myself. “This is one hell of a place to get stung by a poisonous scorpion.

“What should I do?” I asked.

“You need to get to a hospital right away or you’ll die,” she answered.

On the one hand, I don’t feel like I’m dying, but on the other, I’m staring to feel panicky.

“OK, lets go!” I say.

We loaded the boat and hastily head back to St. Thomas where supposedly, doctors would give me some rare anti venom and save my life. But by the time we reach Caneel Bay on the north shore of St. John, I’m feeling fine. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure that I’m not poisoned and “every little thing is gonna be all right.”

“Let’s stop on St. John,” I announce, “I really feel fine. I want to talk with someone there, someone who knows what to do.”

Well on St. John, I found out a bit about scorpions, which is that unlike some other varieties found in the desserts, Virgin Islands scorpions, do sting, (haa’d me son) but, unless you are allergic to them, don’t cause much harm, let alone kill you.

That was that. I was out of the woods. Nonetheless, even though it was still morning, I knocked down a shot of rum, to cool out.

We hung around Cruz Bay for the rest of the morning, had lunch at Eric’s Hilltop (now the Virgin Islands legislature offices) and returned to St. Thomas in the afternoon, my supposedly fatal scorpion sting reduced to a small red bump on my leg that maybe itched a little.

And so ended my first experience with camping out. All in all, good memories.

St. Thomas Harbor (photo from Ron Lockhart collection)

The above photo is from the collection of Ron Lockhart of St. Thomas who has a veritable treasure chest of old post cards and photographs going back to the days when it wasn’t “St. Thomas USVI (United States Virgin Islands),” but rather, “St. Thomas, DWI “(Danish West Indies).”

If you look closely you can see that what is now Veterans Drive did not exist. It was built on fill in the 1950s. The long rectangular warehouses separated by narrow alleyways, now used as shops and pubs and restaurants, ran right into the harbor each with their own private wharf.

Charlotte Amalie Waterfront (Ron Lockhart collection)

The following is excerpted from the book “St. Thomas, USVI”

The Waterfront
As the importance of St. Thomas and its maritime economy grew, so did the town. Harbor frontage became very expensive and as a result, building lots tended to be long and narrow with just enough exposure to the harbor as would permit the implementation of piers and boat slips.

For the same reason, wide streets were not employed to connect the waterfront to Main Street. Instead there were a series of narrow alleyways, which is evident to this day.

Private residences were built on the other, less expensive, landward side of the street and eventually on the valleys and hillsides adjacent to the harbor.

The 20th century brought automobiles to the island and soon traffic on the steep, narrow streets of Charlotte Amalie became so congested that beginning in the 1940s, the harbor was filled in in front of the commercial warehouses, and by 1950, a new modern  road, Veterans Highway, was constructed south of Main Street running alongside the waterfront.

Charlotte Amalie has maintained much of its old character, as both a bustling Caribbean seaport, hosting cruise ships, pleasure yachts and cargo vessels from all around the world, and as a shopping Mecca, offering millions of visitors every year a treasure trove of duty-free shopping delights.

Miss Val's Preschool Class on Last Day of the School Year

Well, it’s that time of the year again. School is out and the kids are either home or going to camp and perhaps you’re looking for something to do with the kids (or without them.) Here’s a suggestion if you don’t mind the trip over to St. Thomas:

Jacob

Pierce

Check out the Butterfly Farm at the Havensight Cruise Ship dock.

There’s waterfalls and ponds and tropical flowers and friendly guides to explain the fascinating facts about butterflies, caterpillars and their life cycles and metamorphoses.

(Jacob met his classmate, Pierce, at the Butterfly Farm and the two of them just loved it and so will kids of all ages, even grown up ones.)

When we first moved into this house some eight years ago, I bought a small mango tree from Cliff Bryan who has a nursery on St. Thomas. I’m sure I agonized over my choice of grafted trees, but I soon forgot the name of the one I choose.

Where we live in Chocolate Hole is not an ideal spot for a mango tree. The soil is clay. The rainfall here is less than on other parts of the island and the land, facing east,  is exposed to the drying effects of the trades.

To mitigate these adverse conditions, we dug a big hole, filled it with good soil and plenty of organic fertilizers and planted the little tree just below our deck.

Most mango trees bear at least one or two mangos fairly soon after they’re planted and become established. Ours, although it grew larger rapidly did not bear at all the first year or the second, or the third, or the forth or the fifth year. Not one flower, not one mango. I became angry at the tree. It was so big and lush, but no mangoes.

On the sixth year we harvested a giant crop of five mangoes. What that tree lacked in quantity, however, it made up in quality; the mangoes were delicious, big, juicy and without a hint of fiber. The next year was better than that, but this year looks really promising.

Our mango tree with lots of flowers

One never knows with mangoes. Anything can happen. A strong wind can easily blow off all the flowers or small fruits before they set. Too much or too little rain at the wrong times can also decimate the harvest. Nonetheless, I want to document this years flowering our mango tree, so here a photo to remember it by. Hopefully it will be followed by more photos of a tree full of big ripe mangoes.

About the name
As I wrote before, I had forgotten the name of our variety. We had a mango book, but we couldn’t be sure and none of the names rung a bell. Various mango experts from around St. John offered their opinions, but I wasn’t convinced by anyone.

One day we met our friend Rajni at Honeymoon Bay. Her father, mother and sister from the Philippines were visiting and it turns out that her dad is an agronomist for the United Nations and is a big plant expert.

We took him to see our tree. One look and he had it – it is a malika – it came back to me – that was it! And we got a history and fact list to go along with it. Not bad. That’s St. John for you – somebody usually come along when you need them.

If we get enough mangoes this year, maybe I won’t be so selfish with them. Stay tuned…

Judge in St. Thomas sends prosecutor to jail – for being late.
Anyone who has spent anytime in the Caribbean knows the meaning of  “island time.” We could extend the concept, if not the phrase, to the countries of Central and South America.

For those who don’t know what I mean, island time is time treated relatively rather than absolutely.

“I’ll be there at 3:00 PM,” for example, might mean that I’ll be there at 3:00, but more likely it will mean that I’ll be there some time later than  3:00.

In some cultures, in Switzerland for example, time is treated seriously and respectfully. In Switzerland, everything and everyone is on time. Everyone knows exactly what time it is. In Switzerland, every last pocket watch, wristwatch and cuckoo clock reads the same as all the others. In Switzerland, everything runs on time. Buses, trains and trolleys arrive on time and leave on time. Count on it.

For example, the conductor on any given Swiss train hangs his head out the door of the railroad car, and with his eyes glued to one of the big clocks that are just about everywhere in railway stations, he waits, transfixed before this monument to orderliness and just as the second hand hits the “12,” he signals the engineer, and the train lurches forward, on time – to the second.

Now contrast this to the Virgin Islands where I’ll venture to guess that no two watches or clocks in the territory are exactly synchronized one with the other, and no one, citizens, government officials, TV and radio stations, internet sites, even atomic clocks exposed to the tropical trade winds, no one, nobody, has the exact right time. In the Virgin Islands time is treated leisurely, approximately. This applies to dates and meetings both business and personal. It’s approximate. It’s more or less, but with later being way more common than earlier.

So it was, that upon reading an article in the Caribbean Net News, I was shocked to learn that a Superior Court Judge in St. Thomas, threw a prosecutor in jail … for being late!!!

The prosecutor was scheduled to be in Court at 4 pm on Monday for a murder case. He showed up late and the judge had him jailed. For further information read the article in Caribbean Net News

From EAST (Environmental Association of St. Thomas-St. John)

ST. THOMAS – Few people are fortunate enough to ever see a humpback whale, but each year the Environmental Association of St. Thomas-St. John offers the community a unique opportunity to see these majestic creatures in their natural habitat.

EAST’s annual whale watches will be held on February 15 and 22th and March 8th and 22rd.

“We had a great sighting on the North Western end of St. Thomas last year,” said EAST President Carla Joseph. “Nothing is more exciting than seeing an animal of this size. It is something I wish everyone had the opportunity to experience.”

Humpback whales migrate through Virgin Islands waters each winter, where they mate and give birth. The local migration usually peaks in February.

The whale watches will be held on a large catamaran, “Jolly Mon”.

“If they are out there, we will find them,” Joseph said.

Eco-guides will be on board to educate participants about the whales as well as sea birds and other marine life.

“It should be a very fun day,” Joseph said. “We usually stop for lunch and a swim or snorkel at an offshore cay. It is a chance to learn a lot more about the Virgin Islands.”

The boat departs at 8:30 a.m. from the National Park Dock in Red Hook. Whale watchers should bring lunch, sun screen, bathing suits and binoculars.

Joseph urged those interested to call for tickets now as the whale watches usually sell out in advance.

Tickets are $55 for EAST members and $65 for non-members and can be purchased on St. Thomas from Dockside Book Store in Havensight and East End Secretarial Services in Red Hook. On St. John, tickets can be purchased from Connections of St. John.

For details call 774-1837 or 344-9075.