Frenchman's Pass is a narrow passage on the island of
Aruba, between coral cliffs above the area known as
Spanish Lagoon. From the pass one can see the remains of the
Balashi Gold Mine Bushiribana and Balashi are the sites of two former gold smelters on the Caribbean island of Aruba.
Bushiribana
The Aruba Island Gold Mining Company built the Bushiribana smelter in 1825 to extract gold from the ore that was being mined in the ...
.
Legend has it that
French pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
s tried to invade Aruba in the early 17th century and were confronted by Indians in this narrow passage above Spanish Lagoon. After this encounter, the passage became known as “Franse Pas” or “Rooi Frances” in
Papiamento, which translates to “Frenchman Pass” in English. Many Indians were killed during the invasion, and today inhabitants near "Frenchman pass" claim they hear crying noises from the Indians during the evening. Some say the Indian ghosts are awake and haunting the area known as Spanish Lagoon.
References
Geography of Aruba
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