The History of Pelican Island has always fascinated me, and I always asked myself why did the government of Barbados let that little island go to be replaced by the deep water harbor.
Pelican Island was a small, uninhabited island that once existed off the west coast of Bridgetown and Fontabelle, in St. Michael, Barbados. According to historical records, the island received its name from the brown pelicans that would nest there.
One weekend while chatting to a friend at home, we started to talk about Ruthann Discovery Tours. Just as I was telling my friend about the pelican tour, my mum chimed in and told us about her days on Pelican Island as a young girl. My Mother then went on to tell us the history of the island.She said that when she was a girl guide in 1946, she and the other girl's guides would normally camp on the island on Fridays after school for the weekend.The young girl's guides were taught the skills of preparing a camp fire and preparing a meal.
Mum said in order to get to the Island the group of children would be rowed over to the Island in a little boat, in what was known as a jetty.
She said that she remembered a large house that was on the Island where the girl’s guides would spend the weekend residing in, and that sometime later the Island then became a quarantine station for the sick crew and passengers when ships came to the island. Sometime later in 1956, she remembers that the government of Barbados started to build what is now the deep water harbor, and said that they used very large boulders to fill up the water.
In 1961, the deep water harbor was completed. When it officially opened mum said my oldest sister had the opportunity of seeing the opening of the deep water harbor. I am sure that was quite a treat!!
There is now a tourist attraction called The Pelican Village ("Pelican Crafts Centre") in the area, a port, as a tribute to the separate island that once existed there called Pelican Village. It opened in 1999 and is an attractive and spacious shopping village offering the very best of local handicrafts, and providing the opportunity to see Barbados' craftsmen at work. Take a tour with Ruthann Discovery Tours.
