HISTORY
The name Turks is derived
after the indigenous Turk's Head "fez" cactus, and the name Caicos
is a Lucayan term "caya hico," meaning string of islands. Columbus
was said to have discovered the islands in 1492, but some still
argue that Ponce de Leon arrived first. Whichever it was, the
first people to truly discover the islands were the Taino Indians,
who unfortunately left little behind but ancient utensils. Then
the Lucayans eventually replaced the Tainos but by the middle
of the 16th Century they too had disappeared, victims of Spanish
enslavement and imported disease.
The 17th century saw the arrival
of settlers from Bermuda, who established themselves on Grand
Turk, Salt Cay and South Caicos. They used slaves to rake salt
for British colonies in America, and were later joined by British
Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution. The economy of the
island revolved around the rich cotton and sisal plantations,
their harvests sold in London and New York. Due to competition
and the thin soil, however, the cotton plantations slowly deteriorated,
most of them finally perishing in a hurricane in 1813. Solar salt
became the main economy of the islands.
