Scrub Island (British Virgin Islands)
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British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
is a part of the Lesser Antilles
Antilles
The Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
, a group of islands that are young volcanic or coral islands. It is currently undergoing production of a multimillion dollar resort and marina which will be the home of Scrub Island Resort Marina and Spa.
Location
Scrub Island is located approximately 74 miles (119.1 km) east of Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
(eastern Fajardo, Puerto Rico to Scrub Island), 28 miles (45.1 km) NE of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 1.66 miles (2.7 km) North of Trellis Bay (Trellis Bay dock and Scrub Island Marina).
Geography
Formed by volcanic activity, Scrub Island is 8520 feet (2,596.9 m) long (1.6 miles) and made up of a total 230 acre (0.9307778 km²) which includes Big Scrub (170 acres) and Little Scrub (60 acres). The mountainous island highest eastern peak reaches a whopping 438 feet (133.5 m) and the highest western peak reaches 313 feet (95.4 m).History
Earliest inhabitants that paddled up from South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
were recorded about 5000 years ago on Scrub Island. At this time, Scrub was presumably connected to Great Camanoe
Great Camanoe
Great Camanoe is a small island located just north of Beef Island and northeast of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands which forms part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea....
and Marina Cay
Marina Cay
Marina Cay is an island of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.The island was uninhabited until 1937, when author Robb White and newly married wife Rosalie “Rodie” Mason settled on the island...
Island because sea level was significantly lower. The first record of Territory was claimed by the Arawak Indians who had left traces of Arawak pottery around 200BC, and they were preceded by Ciboney
Ciboney
The Ciboney were pre-Columbian indigenous inhabitants of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. The name Ciboney derives from the indigenous Taíno people which means Cave Dwellers; evidence has shown that a number of the Ciboney people have lived in caves at some time. Over the years, many...
Indians who settled in nearby St. Thomas in 300 BC.
The European discovery of the British Virgin Islands is attributed to Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
. During his second voyage on November 2, 1493, small islands now known as the Lesser Antilles
Antilles
The Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
were discovered, one of which was Scrub Island. For many years after the discovery, the islands were untouched until privateers, pirates and buccaneers used the island as a haven. Concrete evidence also shows buried pirate treasures. During the early 17th century, the Dutch expressed interest in the copper mines that were discovered, but due to the Dutch’s interest in piracy and a Spanish attack, the settlement was economically unsuccessful. In 1672, the British took control. Presently, Scrub Island is occupied by Scrub Island Resort Marina and Spa which first development in the British Virgin Islands in the last 15 years.
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