Aruba Goldrush

History

Gold Rush

by Susan Campbell

Once upon a time, there actually was gold in “them thar hills”...

Spanish explorers on their legendary and often brutal quest for gold in the New World didn’t search quite hard enough during their stay here back in 1499. In fact, they were so disappointed with the lack of resources that they named this spot “Isla Inútil”, meaning “Useless Island”. (They christened neighboring islands Bonaire and Curaçao with this charming moniker as well.)

Aruba was also a popular pirate haunt in those days, but the marauding buccaneers were more interested in absconding with other people’s riches and using the island’s many caves as hideaways to escape justice than in digging up the local dirt looking for treasure. In fact, it was long after both groups left that the proverbial mother lode was discovered.

By the time the gold rush had ended, three million pounds of the precious metal had been extracted from Aruba’s arid soil, making gold the island’s first industry.

Legend has it that it all started in 1824 with the simple curiosity of a 12-yearold shepherd named Willem Rasmijn.

14 Nights

He was looking for a few sheep that had strayed from his flock when he came upon something glittering in a dry riverbed in upper Santa Cruz. He took it home to his father, who then showed it to a merchant in Oranjestad to find out what it was. It turned out to be gold. The crafty merchant, realizing its true worth, paid the man a mere $17 for it, making a handsome profit when he sold it later for

almost four times that much. Soon after, an Indian girl found more glittering pieces at Rooi Daimari. Rumors of riches spread like wildfire and quickly sparked Aruba’s rush for gold. Word also quickly traveled far across the waves, and soon a flood of Venezuelans and Europeans arrived, seeking their share of good fortune.

Within five months, over 25 pounds of gold had been discovered in that area. 왘

Bottom right photo by Christoph Ermel. Other photos by Michael DeFreitas

History

For many years locals were allowed to freely dig up the dry riverbeds to sift for gold and sell it at a government-fixed price. But when a new vein was discovered in 1854, the process became more structured.

By 1872, Aruba Island Gold Mining Company Ltd was founded and the government granted it the exclusive right to mine on Aruba for 25 years. They built a large smelting works at Bushiribana, where ore mined from Jaburibari was transported. Although it only operated for 10 years, its construction was so solid that you can still see entire walls eerily standing on the north coast as a testament to days gone by. This first mill was

16 Nights

solely operated by wind power. Mining restarted in this area around 1901, using steam power instead.

As gold became more plentiful in the area known as Jamanota, a more modern smelting and stamping mill was constructed at Balashi in 1899, northwest of the Spanish Lagoon. Those ruins are

also still visible, and you can make out the big old rusted ovens for smelting and the concrete-lined vats used for cyanide leaching to purify the gold. By 1916, the gold mining era had boomed and busted.

Little interest remained in the mines once oil – black gold – was discovered in 1924, and Aruba went on to become home to one of the world’s largest oil refineries.

Recent explorations, however, do suggest that there is still gold to be found on this island, be it old pirate’s loot or nature’s gift from the ground. So, keep a sharp eye out for what is underfoot. Even though the expression says “all that glitters is not gold”, in these parts, if it glitters... it just might be. 쮿

Top photos courtesy of Archivo Historico Nacional. Bottom left photo by Christoph Ermel. Bottom right photo by William Ingram, III