The island was originally settled around 1500 BC by the Ciboney people. They were later replaced by the Arawaks and then the Caribs . Christopher Columbus sighted the island in 1493 on his second voyage to the " New World ". The Caribs seem not to have survived the first decades of contact with Europeans, either due to disease or deportation and extermination. Pirates likely made use of the island as an occasional base in the next 150 years. The land was divided into plantations and sugar cane production became the primary economic activity. As a result, Saint Thomas and neighboring islands of Saint John and Saint Croix became highly dependent on slave labor. In 1685 the Brandenburg American Company took control of the slave trade on Saint Thomas, and for some time the largest slave auctions in the world were held there. Saint Thomas boasted a fine natural harbor , known as "Taphus" for the drinking establishments located nearby. In 1691 the primary settlement there was renamed Charlotte Amalie in honor of the wife of Denmark's King Christian V . It was later declared a free port by King Frederick V . The island is serviced by Cyril E. King Airport . Like Great Britain, cars travel on the left side of the road. However, unlike Great Britain, the steering column is located on the left side of the vehicle.