In 1887 Toco was described thus by J H Collens:
“Toco and Matura have been recently constructed a separate ward union, with a resident warden and magistrate (Mr J A Redhead). Before this, Matura was joined to the Arima ward; I should think the magistrate (Mr L P Pierre) must rejoice at this change, which was not made a moment too soon.
At Toco we are six miles from Point Galera, the north-eastern extremity of the island. An image of the Virgin has been placed in a recess of the rock at the point. We shall not, however, see it, for we take a short cut across the peninsula to Cumana, where is the estate of the same name, belonging to Mrs C Pantin.
We have now a very good bridle-path leading alternately over mountain ridges and along the beach. A couple of old cannon lie on the sand at Cumana, relics, I suppose, of the Spanish occupation, while one or two chimneys and some remains of machinery near by tell of long-abandoned sugar estates. The mouth of the Tompire River is, at high water, sometimes rather difficult and dangerous to cross; an inside road, however, which only lengthens the journey very slightly, leads to a bridge over the river.”
The account by Collens is fascinating since he not only points to the ruins of Toco’s sole sugar estate, defunct since emancipation, but the cannons he noted could only have belonged to the ill-fated 1631 garrison established here by the men of Sir Henry Colt. The island steamer still provided a vital lifeline and since anchorage was so treacherous, the steamer had to moor some distance away and the passengers and freight ferried through the pounding surf by pirogues and small rowboats. It is this inclement coastline which saw the erection of the Toco lighthouse in 1897.
The beacon was quite long in coming since over the years, several sailboats coasting near the rocks came to grief. The historic lighthouse happily has survived the national offensive against historical buildings and is in good condition today.
Since Toco never had a plantation economy and its population was almost entirely composed of peasant farmers, there was practically no East Indian population in the district until well into the post WWII era. Indeed, so uniquely homogenous was the populace that anthropologists Melville and Frances Herskovits spent a year in the village in 1938-39, recording folk songs sung in patois and oral traditions.
What they found was a society existing in almost complete isolation and speaking in patios with very clandestine views of the rapidly changing Trinidad society. The dross of the great world beyond its mountain borders did touch Toco in 1942 since on a bluff in Cumana, the US Air Force constructed a landing strip for emergency use when they were afforded ingress in the island under the Bases Agreement in WWII which saw American warships being traded to the beleaguered Royal Navy in exchange for the right to construct military posts in British colonies.
A good road had by this time connected Toco to Sangre Grande (the island steamer service ended in 1928) and this allowed the produce of the area to be transported to market. This road provided locals with an important source of income since men and women alike dug stones and pounded them to lay the foundation. Every fortnight on a Friday, they would gather at the warden’s office to collect their pay and then enjoy a little rum and other simple luxuries at the shops.
Part of the roadworks of the 1920s was the erection of a steel and concrete bridge over the Tompire River, replacing a rickety wooden death-trap that had served for a generation. The Tompire River is a tidal stream which bisects the overland approach to Toco from Sangre Grande. Its lower channel is inundated at high tide and as a result, many marine species of fish are trapped within when the tides fall.
Jobs were also available outside the district since the El Mamo forests near Cumuto were being cleared for the establishment of Fort Read and the Wallerfield Aerodrome by US forces. The high wages being paid drew off labour from the land and agricultural production fell.
Toco is also the home to the successful Toco Foundation which is a model for community-based co-operatives and it operates the only community radio station in the island, Radio Toco. Of more recent note, Toco is the home of the second Olympic gold medallist in national history, javelin great, Keshorn Walcott.