The history of the Caribbean is filled with stories of colonial imperialism where islands changed hands form country to country. St. Maarten was no ace in the imperial holdings, but had its share of skirmishes and smoky gun battles which caused the island to change hands many times between the Spanish, Dutch and French powers. The old stone forts which guard many of the islands inlets is proof of the islands turbulent past.

       The island's true history started peacefully - traces of Stone Age people have been found on the island, dating back to 4,000 BC. Around 800 AD the island, as many of  its neighbors was settles by Arawak Indians who arrived from South America to settle down to a life of fishing, hunting and farming.

       The Arawaks were not alone, however. They were followed in the 14th century by a much more war-like tribe - the cannibalstic Carib Indians. These new arrivals are the ones who gave the region its name, and knew St.Maarten as Soualiga, or "Salt Island" after its main mineral deposit. The remains of the Great Salt Pond can still be seen in Philipsburg today.

       According to legend, Christopher Columbus sighted Soualiga on the 11th of November in the year 1493, the holy day of St.Martin of Tours, and he named the island after him - hence the name St.Maarten. The 11th of November is celebrated to this day, as St.Martin/St.Maarten's Day.

       Although Columbus sighted and named the island, the Spanish made no initial attempt to settle here. Around the year 1630 the Dutch and French established small settlements on the island. The Spanish must have not taken to well to this settlement - they saw it as a threat to their influence in the region and attacked the island - driving out both the Dutch and French settlements.

       The Dutch and French joined forces to repel the Spanish, and finally achieved this goal around 1644 when the Spanish finally abandoned their claims to the Eastern Caribbean altogether. After driving out the Spanish, the Dutch and French signed an accord (in 1648) and agreed to divide the island. Over the next few years, the boundary was the subject of numerous disputes. which were not settled until 1817. In this timeframe the island changed hands between the two powers 16 times.

    According to popular legend, the final division of the island between the Dutch and the French was settled with a race.

       A Dutchman and a Frenchman stood back-to-back and started to circumnavigate the island on foot. It is claimed that the starting point is the area known today at Oyster Pond; the Frenchman was ordered to walk North along the coast while the Dutchman was to go South. The spot where the two would meet, would determine the border.

       The legend has it, that the Dutchman walked with a flask of old Dutch Gin, and the Frenchman, true to his roots, carried a flask of wine. The Frenchman managed to cover much more ground than his rival, and won France the larger portion of the island - 21 square miles. The Dutchman, who it is claimed covered less because he stopped for several gin-breaks ended up with only 16 square miles of territory.