Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve
Encyclopedia
Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve on the Virgin Island
of St. Croix, contains the only known site where members of a Columbus
expedition set foot on what is now United States
territory. It also preserves upland watersheds, mangrove forests, and estuarine and marine environments that support threatened and endangered species. The site is marked by Fort Salé, a remaining earthworks fortification from the French period of occupation, about 1617. The park also preserves prehistoric and colonial-era archeological sites including the only existent example of a ball court in the Caribbean.
The area's blend of sea and land holds some of the largest remaining mangrove forests in the Virgin Islands, as well as coral reefs and a submarine canyon. Salt River Bay's natural history, its vitally important ecosystem of mangroves, estuary, coral reefs, and submarine canyon, has witnessed thousands of years of human endeavor. Every major period of human habitation in the Virgin Islands is represented: several South American Indian cultures, the 1493 encounter with Columbus, Spanish extermination of the Caribs, attempts at colonization by a succession of European nations, and enslaved West Africans and their descendants. More than a dozen major archeological investigations since 1880, together with historical research, reveal a remarkable story.
On February 24, 1992 Congress created the park, under cooperative management of the National Park Service
and Government of the Virgin Islands of the United States jointly manage this park. As an historic area of the National Park Service, the park was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on the same day. The Columbus landing site had already been designated a National Historic Landmark
on October 9, 1960.
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
of St. Croix, contains the only known site where members of a 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...
expedition set foot on what is now United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
territory. It also preserves upland watersheds, mangrove forests, and estuarine and marine environments that support threatened and endangered species. The site is marked by Fort Salé, a remaining earthworks fortification from the French period of occupation, about 1617. The park also preserves prehistoric and colonial-era archeological sites including the only existent example of a ball court in the Caribbean.
On February 24, 1992 Congress created the park, under cooperative management of the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
and Government of the Virgin Islands of the United States jointly manage this park. As an historic area of the National Park Service, the park was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on the same day. The Columbus landing site had already been designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
on October 9, 1960.
External links
- Official NPS website: Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve
- National Historic Landmarks Program: Columbus Landing Site