Evening star., 1951-10-12
First Settlement Begun
By Columbus Vunishes
Lost Trace of Ia lsubelu
In Dominica Is Gone
By Thomos R. Henry

The first actual European settlement
In the New World has completely disap-
peared.
The last remaining trace Of La Isabella
on the north coast Of the Dominican Re-
public was the cornerstone of its church
which was in place in 1945. Now even
this is gone.
La Isabella was an ambitious settle
ment in its day. It was built in 1494
by Spanish settlers brought over by
Christopher Columbus on his second
voyage. It was projected as a stone
town near the mouth of the Bajabonico
River, Is miles west Of the present Do
minican city of Puerto Plata.
A few years ago the Dominican gov
ernment started plans for its restora-
ton. The government planners were
aided by scientists from the United
States, Cuba. Mexico and other Latin
American countries who sought clues
to its original appearance and the ways
of life there.
Now, says DR.. Herbert w. Krieger Of
the Smithsonian Institution, an authority
on West Indian ethnology who was one
of the consultants. the proposed restora-
ton has been found impossible. He him.
self made extensive explorations in the
neighborhood. The town. he says, had
disappeared when the restoration plans
first were proposed. Some Of the stone
foundations. however. still were IN place.
It was hoped that some account OF its
original appearance could be found in
the Archives Of the Indies In Spain, In
some European library. or in the Library
of Congress here in Washington. All
these have been thoroughly searched.
but the quest has proved futile.
Apparently no plans ever were drawn
up and no letters of settlers describing
their new home have been found. Prob
ably they wrote none. La Isabella hrSt
came to the attention of historians In
1898, the year of the great Columbian
EXPOSITION. A commissioner was sent
to Dominica to collect what materials
he could. He found even then that many
of the stones Of which the structures
were built had been removed. The rest
have disappeared in the succeeding half
century.
New City Short-Lived.
Like jamestown, its North American
counterpart La Isabella was short-lived.
The colonists consisted Of Spanish
farmers and artisans. They hardly in
tended, however, to remain permanently
in the New World. Crops were planted
the first year, but the settlers COM
planned that the climate was uncon-
genial. Actually it was quite healthy.
but this is a complaint common to all
new settlements.
In 1895, the second year Of the settle
~ CIR
the Ozama River on the south coast.
Apparently, the new town soon was
abandoned by all its inhabitants. The
gold was found near the present site
of the capital of the Republic. Ciudad
Trujillo, formerly Santo Domingo City.
That city replaced La Isabella and the
people never returned to the north
coast.
DR.. Krieger points out that the La
Isabella colonists were not actually the
first white men to live in tbe New World.
In 1892, on Columbus first voyage, o
garrison Of sailors was left to man .
fort. This was improvised from mate
rials taken from the flagship. the Santa
Maria, abandoned when it struck reef
of the north coast of Haiti. When Co
lumbus returned on his second voyage
he found this fort destroyed and the
garrison massacred. The sailors ap-
parently had incurred the ll-win OF
the Indians.
The La Isabella settlers presumably
were adventurers lured by tales Of gold
in the New World. They were not, DR..
Krieger believse. especially interested IN
creating q new Espanola, the name Co
lumbus gave his newly discovered island.
They came, however, fully prepared to
defend themselves. With them were
masons, several priests, and government
officials.
Church and Palace Constructed.
They started well. Stone quarries
were opened on the banks Of the Rio
Bajabonico and within four months the
settlers had built church, palace
for the governor general, barracks. o
fort, q watch tower and large ware
house for supplies brought from Spain.
The supplies of meat, wine and flour
brought from Spain, however, soon were
exhausted and the settlers were obliged
to turn to q native diet Of fish, corn
bread and yams. This change. COM
bined with plaques of mosquitoes and
insufficient protection against winter
rains, brought increasing sickness. OF q
total population of approximately $500,
a third became Ill within few weeks.
In 1945 a rededication ceremony was
staged on the site Of the old church
whose foundation walls then remained
intact, although the rest Of the struc-
ture long since had been removed.