We had heard that more than 50% of the island of St. John is a National Park and that Volunteers would gather several days of the week to help clean up the park - mainly the historic sugar mill plantations that are preserved at the park. So on Thursday, Daniel and Kim joined a group of volunteers and headed for the Annaberg sugar mill Plantation in the north part of the island. The volunteers worked for several hours clearing bush around the stone remains of the plantation.

After Columbus introduced sugar cane in 1942, this crop gave these islands a source of income as well as the terrible history of slavery. Sugar cane originated in Asia and as the demand for it increased in Europe, colonizing countries jumped at the opportunity to cash in this business. Slaves were brought to these islands to work the hundreds of sugar mills that made these islands so sought out by the empires of the 18-20th century. St John became a key island in the production of sugar. It was first claimed by the Danish who first set up the sugar mills such as Annaberg. This mill was one of the most prosperous in the island, with about 650 slaves producing sugar and rum. The treatment that the slaves endured here by the overseers was at times so ruthless that the slaves revolted and took the island for 6 months in the early 1800's. As we walked around the ruins - the slave quarters, their oven where they baked bread, the dungeon where they were beaten, and the buildings supporting the factory of sugar, one could not help but almost feel their pain and misery.

On a happier note, St John stands on our list as one of the two most beautiful islands we have seen. The views, beaches, harbors, park, etc., are beautiful. There is even a campground filled with amenities in Cinnamon Bay which is not too far from Cruz Bay -the main port in the island. The National Park service has done a remarkable job keeping this island clean and accessible to tourists even in the face of the many government funding cuts of the recent years.