Bimini's Adventurous
Past
Pirates:
Bimini has a romantic and adventurous past, complete with real life tales of
pirates, and buried treasure. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Bimini lay directly in the route of
merchant ships traveling from South America to Europe. Pirates would corner ships
in the reefs off Bimini and trap them in the shallow waters, then loot the merchant ships
for their goods.
Infamous pirates such as Captain Henry
Morgan and the notorious Blackbeard dominated this area. For more than 200 years,
Bimini was the center of pirate activity. Countless ancient coins and artifacts have
been found on Bimini's beaches, and some people believe Captain Morgan's buried treasure
is still hidden somewhere on the island.
Rum-Runners:
In the 1920's during the era of Prohibition in the U.S., Bimini became a popular spot for
rum-runners. Bimini's proximity to Florida, made it a convenient place
for smugglers
to buy rum and alcohol and make a dash for the United States. In the 1920's, the
rum-running ship The Sapona, was docked in Bimini and used as a speak-easy until
it ran aground and sank during a hurricane in 1929. Today, the wreck of The
Sapona is a popular fishing and scuba diving site.
Hemingway:
Ernest Hemingway spent time fishing and writing in Bimini from 1935-1937.
Bimini was
the inspiration for Hemingway's unfinished novel Islands In The Stream, and he
revised his manuscript for To Have and Have Not during his stay here.
Hemingway caught his share of impressive game fish while on the island, including a 500
lb. blue marlin, and is credited with popularizing big game fishing in
Bimini. Photos and writings of his time spent on the island are displayed at the Hemingway
Museum in the lounge of the Compleat Angler Hotel in Alice Town, North
Bimini.
