Originally settled by a tribe of Arawak Indians, St. Maarten was nearly deserted when it was discovered by Columbus in 1493. The Arawaks had been driven out (or eaten) by the Carib Indians, a savage, warlike tribe that made no effort to settle here. Columbus named the island after St. Martin of Tours, but he and the Spanish showed no interest in the island for years, not even putting it on their maps of the area.

About St. Maarten | St. Maarten History | St. Maarten Culture

The Spanish had left a few soldiers to build a fort on the island, but otherwise left the island alone. In 1631 the Dutch and the French settled on the island, mining salt from the island's various salt ponds, and beginning small farms. The Dutch built Fort Amsterdam and Phillipsburg in 1632 and the French settled the northeast corner of the island, known as the French Quarter. In later years the French built Fort Luis to protect their capital city of Marigot.

In 1633 the Spanish took note of the activity on the island and put a stop to it, counquering both settlements and expanding Fort Amsterdam and building another small fort at Point Blanche to control access to the largest salt pond on the island. In 1644 the Dutch, led by Peter Stuyvesant, attempted to regain control of the island. The force of 800 soldiers were unable to defeat the Spanish and Stuyvesant, who later became governor of New Amsterdam (New York), lost his leg in the battle. The Spanish again lost interest in the island and left in 1648, leaving the French and Dutch free to return.

On March 23, the Treaty of Concordia was signed on Mount Concordia, partitioning the island between the two nationalities. Some minor border disputes continued until 1817, when the current border was settled upon and peaceful prosperity lasted for years. The source of the prosperity was the sugarcane plantations and salt production. The Spanish were the first to begin importing slaves to work the plantations, and the Dutch and French continued to import slaves from Africa until 1848 when the French side outlawed slavery and 1863 for the Dutch side.

Salt production remained a major export for St. Maarten until the 1940's when demand for salt in the U.S. greatly diminished. Many of the inhabitants of the island chose to immigrate to other countries during this period, until the building of Princess Juliana International Airport and several hotels began a strong tourism industry. The airport is famous for its short runway, 7000 feet, which cause the jets to come in very low over the beaches of the island, often within 60 feet of the ground.

Today, the 16 sq. miles of the Dutch side is administratively part of the Netherlands Antilles, a country within the the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while the 21sq. mile French side is a part of the French Department of Guadeloupe. Both sides of the island are economically and politcally stable, making them an ideal holiday vacation destination.