The History of Rum Cay
Originally called “Mamana” by the Lucayan Indians, Rum Cay was renamed “Santa Maria de la Concepción” by Christopher Columbus, who made his second stop here during his voyage to the New World. The modern name, Rum Cay, is said to be in memory of a West Indian ship that was wrecked with a cargo of rum, just off the coral reefs that surround the island’s shore during the rum-running years of the 1800's. Although, another theory is that its name came from the Isle of Rhum in Scotland.
ShareThis
Arawak Indians lived peacefully on Rum Cay before Columbus disturbed their tranquility in 1492, and by 1499 none of them remained. In the past, locals have reportedly found evidence that they dwelled in Hartford Cave in the north, including wall drawings, bowls plates and utensils.
The salt industry on the island predated the granting of land by Charles II to the Lords Proprietors in 1670, which included salt royalties. By the early 18th century the salt ponds were producing enough salt to supply the plantations and colonies on the North American coast. By the mid 19th century the island was the second largest producer of salt in The Bahamas, producing almost half a million bushels a year. The industry failed due to a combination of high tariffs for imports into America and the hurricane of 1926 that destroyed the dam controlling the flow of salt water into the salt pond.
Around 1834, the island had a large slave population working on plantations that produced cotton, pineapples and assorted vegetables. Some crumbling remnants of the stone property boundary walls can still be seen today.
| Current conditions in Rum Cay | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 82 °F
84 °F (high) /
79 °F (low)
Wind: ESE 14 kmph
Pressure: 30.06 in/Hg
Visibility: 10 miles
Relative Humidity: 76%
|
||||
