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Jamaica's Garden Parish
Friday July 4, 2008
Adapted from St. Ann Chamber of Commerce Travel Guide 2007
Even Christopher Columbus, the islands first repeat visitor likd the Ocho Rios area and he Garden Parish of St. Ann so much he returned several times. So impressed with the area’s natural beauty, he noted “This is the fairest land mine eyes have ever seen.” Savvy travellers know St. Ann parish geographically the largest in Jamaica and home to the town of Ocho Rios is a fair land indeed St. Ann is an area where things grow, And waterfalls and rivers flow, grassy hills roll gently to white sandy coasts, turquoise - blue waters lap at a craggy coastline. St. Ann parish is bordered to the east by the White River and to the west by the Rio Bueno. Other significant towns in St. Ann in addition to Ocho Rios include St. Ann’s Bay, the Capital, Brown’s Town, Discovery Bay, and Runaway Bay.
Jamaica’s playground and ideal base for vacations, Ocho Rios is located midway along the islands north coast, almost midway between Montego Bay and Port Antonio. Activity whirls around the downtown area wrapping around Mallard’s Bay, Half-Moon shaped harbour.
A Brief History
St. Ann believed to be the site of the earliest Taino settlement in Jamaica is one of the oldest populated regions on islands tracking back to 650A.D. Columbus first arrived in Jamaica in 1494, landing on the shores of St. Ann - Sevilla la Nueve now named Seville and located just west of St. Ann’s Bay was the first Spanish settlement in Jamaica. It was here the first sugar mills were established by the Spaniards before 1526. St. Ann’s Bay gradually developed as a fishing port with many warehouses and wharves. After 1655 when the English captured Jamaica, the parish of St. Ann was later named after Lady Anne Hyde, the first wife of King James II of England.
The name Ocho Rios, is not what it purports to be. Ocho Rios does not have “eight rivers” as its Spanish name implies. The English confused the translated of Los Chorreras (river rapids), the name which the Spanish had given the area. The catalyst for Ocho Rios’ growth as a town was bauxite. The bauxite facility and deep-water pier constructed by Reynolds Jamaica Mines west of town began to shape Ocho Rios as a tourist destination. The St. Ann development council began strategic development of Ocho Rios as a modern town in the 1960’s.
Famous People: The great people, events and social movements that have swirled around St. Ann have certainly made this parish unique in Jamaica. When Columbus first arrived in St. Ann and “discovered” Jamaica, the island was already well-populated by Tainos, an Arawak people who had migrates up from South America.
But Columbus wasn’t the onl one who changed the course of history in St. Ann. Fast forward to the dawn of the 20th century. Two of the world’s most prominent cultural influences, Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley are both from St. Ann parish.
Marcus M. Garvey championed the rights of Africans throughout the world during a critical period in their evolution. Born in 1887 at St. Ann’s Bay, his writings and speeches on dignity and freedom for black people everywhere have influenced generations of Civic leaders. It made him Jamaica’s first national hero.
Garvey, born just 40 years after the abolition of slavery in Jamaica was raised as a member of the St. Ann’s Bay Methodist Church. Visitors still find the church much the same as in Garvey’s life. At 14 he was apprenticed to a printer. The press on which he earned his trade, at Eclypse Printery, 44 Main Street, has been declared a national treasure.
Born in 1945 at the St. Ann hamlet of Nine Mile, Robert Nesta Marley sang prayers in the form of reggae rhythms, and they spread around the world. In the West, Bob Marley’s music remains hugely popular 27 years after his death. In the Third World, however, his themes go much deeper, inspiring people to demand their freedom. In Jamaica, he is nearly a national hero. His music is heard everywhere.
Marley died of cancer at 36. Jamaica gave him a state funeral in the National Arena, He rests in a mausoleum at Nine Mile, in the hills of St. Ann where he started. Pilgrims come to pay their respects. His music lives on with no end in sight.
Modern Day: Stunning natural beauty, coupled with an unmatched array of activities, places to stay, shop and dine, continue to insure the growth of he St. Ann area and Ocho Rios.
An upgraded, modern-day highway now extends nearly the entire stretch from the airport in Montego Bay to Ocho Rios. Visitors can complete the drive in 1½ hours. An easy drive from Runaway Bay to Ocho Rios is less than a half hour. Hundreds upon hundreds of new hotel rooms continue to open, fuelled by the development from Spanish-based resort groups. Improvements to the port have allowed continued growth and arrival of the largest cruise ship in history. New shopping centres continue to open.
It’s no wonder that Ocho Rios is abuzz with activity and seems in constant motion. Higgling (bargaining) for handmade items at the crafts market is a treat in itself. Duty-free shops carry a bounty of brand-name goods. Nightclubs co-exist happily beside taverns and lounges. Gourmands will delight in Ocho Rios’ elegant restaurants, cafés and roadside eateries.
Ocho Rios is a place of mesmerizing waterfalls and exotic gardens. The world-famous Dunns River Falls offers and exhilarating climb through warm, cascading waters. The
tropical splendour of Coyaba and Shaw Park Gardens is magnificent. Take a drive through a forest of ferns aptly called Fern Gull. Ride a horse on the trails at Prospect Plantation. Relax and play at any number of sunny beaches.
Drive west of Ocho Rios to Discovery Bay where Columbus first landed and see Columbus Park, or to Runaway Bay, so called because slaves used this area as an escape route. Visit Green Grotto Caves or climb the hills to Nine Mile, Bob Marley’s birthplace.
Ocho Rios… truly one of the world’s most exotic resorts. read more>>>
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