If you are visiting Grand Turk, a must is the National Museum there, which unveils a wealth of history of the Turks and Caicos, both land based and seafaring. The first known inhabitants of the Turks and Caicos were Taino Indians who were eventually replaced by another Indian people, the Lucayans. The islands, in part, get their name from the Lucayan term “caya hico” meaning string of islands, as well as the indigenous Turks Head "fez" cactus. The Turks and Caicos Islands are also known for having been the first land on which Christopher Columbus set foot in 1492, after his crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. By the middle of the 16th Century, however, the Lucayan Indians too had disappeared, victims of Spanish enslavement and imported disease. Unfortunately, the islands quickly became unpopulated and attracted the attention of the French buccaneers. Up to the 17th century, the Caicos Islands became a hideout and haven for such infamous pirates as Blondel, Captain Dulaien, Francois L'Olonnais, Calico Jack Rackham, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read.
The 17th century saw the arrival of settlers from Bermuda and British Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution. They established themselves on Grand Turk, Salt Cay and South Caicos and used slaves to rake salt and work the rich cotton and sisal plantations. After being controlled by the Spanish, French and British, Turks and Caicos became federated with the Bahamas Islands in 1799. This union lasted for about 50 years and soon after, links with Jamaica were well developed. In 1976, the Turks and Caicos became a British Crown colony. At that time they were granted a new constitution and government with a governor appointed by the Queen of England. The 1976 elections were won by the PDM, the People's Democratic Movement, who sought to negotiate for independence if they were re-elected in 1980. But the other main political party, the Progressive National Party (PNP), won the 1980 elections and plans for independence were set aside. The parties have alternatively been in power over the last 25 years, with the PNP currently the governing party. Once again, there is talk of Independance.
