Eleuthera's first residents were the Lucayan Indians, believed to have come from Florida and Mexico's Yucatan coast. In the 1520s, about 20,000 Lucayans were taken by the Spanish to work in silver mines and sugar plantations on Hispaniola and Cuba, leaving the island depopulated.
The Bahamas, including Eleuthera, came under British control in 1629. The first settlers arrived in 1648: a party led by Willam Sayle and known as the Eleutheran Adventurers. Eleuthera means "freedom" in Greek.
Sayle's efforts almost ended in disaster: he was shipwrecked on a reef called the Devil's Backbone, losing large amounts of supplies. The group had to get desperately-needed help from the colony of Virginia.
The Bahamas saw a lot of pirate activity in the 16th century, but Eleuthera was largely ignored by them. "Calico" Jack did once raid the area, burning a few fishing vessels.
The islands were surrounded by notoriously dangerous waters, however. Goods from wrecked ships became a major part of the economy. This led to some of the island's inhabitants deliberately causing ships to wreck.
One trick they used was to put lanterns on donkeys at night, causing ship-captains to think the light was another ship and the waters were safe.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, various attempts at farming were tried. Pineapple growing was briefly successful, until U.S. government-subsidized industries in Cuba and Hawaii drove it out of business.
In the post-WW2 economic boom, Americans began visiting the Caribbean on vacation. Although most of this development took place in Nassau and the surrounding areas, Eleuthera saw some development. It and the other Out Islands have developed a reputation for excellent sport-fishing.
