The story of Crab Cay begins with the original deed granted to William Walker in 1785. While Walker settled Crab Cay to capitalize on a thriving cotton trade, it was as an expert botanist and not a skilled merchant on which Walker’s legacy hangs today. An important historical link connects Walker to one of the most prominent naturalists of the Age of Enlightenment – and one of the most compelling tales.

Walker corresponded with and collected plant specimens for Sir Joseph Banks. Banks accompanied Captain Cook on his South Seas voyages and was a primary backer of the infamous HMS Bounty voyage to transplant the breadfruit plant from Tahiti to The Bahamas. After a harrowing escape from the HMS Bounty mutineers, Captain William Bligh successfully returned to Tahiti on a new voyage and delivered the breadfruit plants to The Bahamas. These plants may well have passed through the hands of Walker. The surviving ruins of Walker’s original plantation will be preserved on Crab Cay, providing a historical link to the islands’ esteemed past, and preserving a legacy for its future.