The Archeology Program at Virgin Islands National Park is working to illuminate the complex relationships between indigenous Caribbean cultures, European colonial powers, and enslaved Africans brought to these small islands. Below is a brief timeline of human habitation on St. John. For more information visit the Timeline of Human Habitation on St. John page.
- The first humans arrived in the Virgin Islands between 2500 to 3000 years ago.
- The Taino culture develped between 500 to 1000 years ago.
- Columbus discovers the islands in 1493.
- Visitors from the United States began vacationing and moving to the Virgin Islands between 1920 and 1950.
- The Virgin Islands National Park was established in 1956.