In the latter half of the 19th century, Gaspar Grande or Gasparee Island was in a slump. Aside from a small settlement of fishermen at the defunct whaling station at Pointe Baleine, there was little or no economic activity. This was about to change, however, as the bays on the northern side of the island began to attract the attention of some of the wealthier families in Port-of-Spain. Vacationing “down the islands” was becoming fashionable and soon, comfortable residences were erected on Gasparee.
These provided a welcome respite from life in the capital city and many of the homes carried the names of their owners as Harry Vincent recorded in 1910: “Given a holiday even of only a few days’ duration, there is nothing like clearing out, bag and baggage, from A to Z, and betaking one’s self far from the madding crowd.
Here the much-be worried mamma will get a short respite from the ever-recurring bothers of household cares, the small fry will be in a heaven of enjoyment (and dirt) from morning until night, and as for the pater, with his fishing rod, gun and budget of literature, so long as the commissariat holds out, he ought to be as happy as a king.
Gasparil boasts of 13 residences, most of which can be hired or leased, Pointe Baleine, Fort Dragon, St Mary’s, Acham’s, Herrera’s, Bourne’s, Sorzano’s, Bodu’s, Goodwille’s (two houses), Savary’s, Bombshell Bay, and Gamble’s. As regards fishing, there are no banks of any importance round Gasparil, but the rock-fishing, both “ligne dormante” and “ligne voyante” is often fairly good.”
One of the first purpose-built hotels in Trinidad was established in the early 1900s at Gasparee by the grocer, Ernest Canning. It consisted of a large house with cool rooms and a well-loved diving platform where athletic people could risk a dive into the waters off Pointe Baleine.
Even at this time, there were still vestiges of the old whaling station to be seen with a couple huge copper boilers on the land, once used for rendering blubber into oil. The Pointe Baleine Hotel was sold to the Corsican businessman Terami and appropriated during World War II by the Americans under the Bases Agreement. The hotel never re-opened.
At Bombshell Bay, the site of the old Spanish fortifications, almost the entire property was owned by Charles Conrad Stollmeyer. The Chinese Association acquired the place from him which included a large dwelling house and several outbuildings where remnants of the fishing families of the island still lived. These people had left off their old trade and were now employed as domestics, boatmen and other ancillaries at the holiday homes.
The magnificent limestone caves of the island were also just beginning to be noticed for their stunning beauty as well as the aquamarine pool inside. Vincent writes:
“They are situated at Pointe Baleine, the western extremity of Gasparil, immediately facing the First Boca or Boca del Mono, on lands belonging to Mr J B Todd, which have been tunnelled through by Dame Nature in a most wonderful manner, and offer to the eye a marvellous exposition of stalactite and stalagmite, basaltic pillar and crystal column. With the exception of some families who periodically visit the Bocas Islands for a holiday, on sea-bathing and fresh air intent, these picturesque phenomena are unknown to both Trinidad inhabitants and foreign visitors. The few American and English tourists whom I have met, after braving the descent, have expressed themselves as being both surprised and delighted, one lady going so far as to say that she had seen nothing in Europe to compare with them, not even at the far-famed Capri.”
Gasparee once again became a military emplacement when in 1939 a 4.7 inch howitzer was hauled to the peak of the island. It was originally installed at Nelson Island but moved because of the more strategic location of the latter place. At Pointe Baleine barracks for soldiers were erected. The guns seen on the island today were originally assigned to coastal batteries at Pointe-a-Pierre and Point Fortin. The original weapons placed in 1939 are at the Military Museum in Chaguaramas.
In the 1980s, a grandiose scheme was implemented at Gasparee which saw an artificial beach, piped water and a large water-slide being constructed, and a resort named Fantasy Island come into being. Its business model was based on the timeshare system but this seems never to have materialised.
Today, Gasparee has returned to being a private and serene community of holiday homes with the awesome caves being a main attraction. The peace that was broken upon so often has now been restored.