Saba history · History of Saba
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History of Saba
History of Saba
It is said that Christopher Columbus sighted Saba on his trans-Atlantic voyage, but did not land due to the rocky shores. The island was colonized in 1640 when a group from the Dutch West India Company were sent in from neighboring Sint Eustatius. In 1664 these settlers were evicted by the notorious buccaneer Sir Henry Morgan. This is one of the few times that the rough terrain of Saba was successfully invaded. The Netherlands finally took over in 1816, and that is how it remains today.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Saba was a haven to pirates throughout the Caribbean. Most notably, Hiriam Breaks took residence in Saba, who coined "Dead Men Tell No Tales."
Sugar and rum were Saba's chief exports through the 18th century, as well as fishing (particularly lobster fishing) later. Once trade routes became more open, Saban Lace (a derivative of Spanish Lace) became very popular. By 1928 the women of Saba were exporting $15,000 (USD) worth of lace yearly.
For a long time the only way in and out of Saba was through treacherous Ladder Bay. The Ladder is a series of rocks with a near vertical grade. Finally in the 20th century, a self-educated local engineer took interest in connecting the villages of Saba with a road deemed impossible by engineers before him.
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Saba Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.