Reef Bay Sugar Mill - St John Island USVI

We also hiked from Little Lameshur Bay over to Reef Bay where there are ruins of an old sugarcane mill.  Very interesting stuff. 

Sugarcane played such an important role in the history of the Caribbean islands.  A violent, bloody, and often sad history it seems but of course it is much more complicated than that mere statement.  *The National Park Service doesn't really touch on all of that in their historic plaques.  How could they and do it justice!  I am reading a book on it now.

Anyway...there are actually a couple sugar mill ruins on St John but this one is really well preserved.

Impressive stone walls leading to the fresh waterfall and Petroglyphs and then along the sugar cane plantation grounds.  Miles of stone wall piled very high.  No doubt built by the slaves on this plantation.  After seeing first hand the dense foliage and topography of these islands, it is mind boggling to think that they cleared entire island landscapes to plant sugarcane.