Gros Islet District: History
The Arawak and Carib artifacts found in Gros Islet District date back to around 1000 A.D.
The pirate François Le Clerc, nicknamed Jambe de Bois because of his wooden leg, used Pigeon Island as a base to attack Spanish ships in the 1550s. Peg-Leg Le Clerc was originally from Normandy and the first European to settle Saint Lucia.
Because of the good anchorage at Gros Islet harbor, early French and British sailing ships often anchored at this port city. The French established 47 plantations for producing sugar in Gros Islet by 1775. The Marquis de Bouille captured Gros Islet in 1793 before he was forced to retreat by George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney from his base on Pigeon Island.
During World War II, 221 acres of land at Gros Islet were turned into a U.S. Naval Air Station with seaplanes. All that survives today are the concrete ramps used by the plane to come on land.