At the North Western tip of Trinidad a 15 minute drive from the nation’s capital lies Chaguaramas. Chaguaramas was originally named “The Land of the Palms” by our indigenous people because of the abundance of palm trees that once grew there. Because of its strategic location in 1941 the British leased the peninsula to the USA so that it could be used as a military base during World War II. In 1943 Chaguramas became a fully operational US naval base (Discover TT, n.d.). Tucker Valley, which is located in the Northern Range one mountain ridge over from Diego Martin. One can access Tucker Valley by hiking though the hills of Diego Martin. The most popular and safest route is through Chaguramas. Tucker Valley was formerly called La Cuesa Valley which means wooden box to contain water in Spanish.

The valleys first settlers came between 1781-1797 by Cedula Agreement, which invited farmers to come to Trinidad and cultivate the land. There were many estates in the area but due to the decline of sugar and coffee as well as the emancipation of African slaves many of the estates became bankrupt and had to be put up for sale. In came William Sanger Tucker who offered to purchase most of the land on an installment plan (Tucker Valley History , 2016). I guess that is where the name “Tucker Valley” originated from.

Today, the remnants of a time before is still evident in Tucker Valley. Many of the structures and natural wonders that existed in 1875 and beyond still stand.

St Chad’s Anglican Church

On the right side of the road a few meters after the golf course on your left leads us to our first place of interest in Tucker Valley. To be totally honest up until a month ago I never knew this was a church, I never even noticed the graves in the yard on route to Macqueripe. It always looked like a haunted house to me, this is defiantly somewhere I would not like to be at night. Nope not I. The St Chad’s Anglican Church, one of the many abandoned structures in Tucker Valley is one of the many sites that adds to the mystery of this area. In I850 Daniel Cave, the owner of Mount Pleasant Estate donated land to the Anglican Church. The church was named after an English Saint named Chad. Constructed in wood, the original church after eighteen years fell in a state of disrepair and the members requested a new church, which was built in 1875. (Corbin, April ). When Chaguramas was leased to the US, in 1941 the church was used by the military as a base. The most prominent grave on the grounds of the church belongs to Amelia Tripp, who was the daughter of William Tucker Amelia died at the age of 23. Legend has it that on Amelia roams the roadway on dark nights, but nobody has been able to prove it.

The Bamboo Cathedral

Don’t Laugh.

So my fellow classmate Nadia and I, went looking for the Bamboo Cathedral which was a little distance from the St. Chad’s Anglican Church.   We had no clue where it was as this was both our first time to the location. I suggested let’s use WAZE and so we found the turn off, which actually had good signage (THANK YOU CDC). We parked and got out to walk but WAZE give us an inaccurate reading so we thought we had a long walk before we got to the cathedral. Nadia and I decided to get back into the vehicle and drive thinking the distance was too far for two young ladies to walk alone (safety first!!!!!) Now I was expecting the Bamboo Cathedral to be on a track off the road, so we are driving looking for this thing like what the hell is wrong with WAZE? It was not until we almost got out of the cathedral I looked up, we looked at each other and shouted “WAIT we are IN the Bamboo Cathedral!” I said DON’T LAUGH!! If you have never been there, it looks exactly as it is named. Tall, strong green bamboos stretch proud and high into the air on opposite sides of the rood creating an arch. This arch is similar to that of a cathedral like I can seriously see a wedding happening in there. This natural wonder is stretches across 300 meters of roadway.

Abandoned Radar Base

Nadia and I decided to continue driving past the Bamboo Cathedral, the road continues to the top of the mountain which would take you to the abandoned radar base. This was one of the places in Trinidad that I always wanted to visit, so you can imagine the anticipation as we made our way uphill.   This was one of the few times in my adult life that I felt so small. That dish is HUGE!   I felt like a child in that moment. I wish there was some video footage available of how, they got the pieces that dish on that mountain and the assembly that I’d like to see!

The US in the 1960’s deployed inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM) stations during the cold war. This station purpose was to monitor and prevent any possible attacks from Russia and was one of the first station to be installed for this reason.   The US developed an early warning system which would allow them to have the “heads up” in the event that any missiles where launched. This would allow them to put defenses in place before they reached American soil. The installation of the dish was completed in 1958. The Chaguaramas radar station was operated by the US until 1971 without warning or advising the local authorities. (Abandoned Radar Base in Trinidad, n.d.)

Macqueripe Beach

At the end of the road through Tucker Valley is Macqueripe Beach. This beach was never my favourite growing up because of how uneven the ocean floor is. Like most beaches you can actually swim or walk out before you reach any type of depth NOT Macqueripe. It’s like one second you are at ankle deep water two steps later you are submerged in water. That drop in the oceans floor is NOTHING to play with. During World War II when the Americans occupied the north – west peninsula this beach was used as a submarine station. The bay was ideal for this because if its depth. Before then the bay was the home of the Macqueripe Beach Club which comprised a hotel and several cottages owned by Sir George Fredrick Huggins in 1924. In 1941-1972, the period that the Americans made Chaguramas their home the club was run as an entertainment center for the families of the US soldiers. (Macqueripe Beach, n.d.)

There is so much more history and places in Tucker Valley that I could not cover in this one blog. Perhaps at a later period they shall be covered. The next time you and the family plan a trip to either Chaguramas or to Macqueripe Beach, you should try to visit at least one of these sites in Tucker Valley. Be mindful of the weather and of course safety FIRST!!!

Blessings

Callaloo Culture

Works Cited

Abandoned Radar Base in Trinidad. (n.d.). Retrieved from Atlas Obscura : https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/abandoned-radar-base-in-trinidad

Corbin, T. (April ). Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/timocorbin/8757522944

Discover TT. (n.d.). Retrieved from History of Chaguaramas : http://www.discover-tt.net/travel_and_tourism/history_chaguaramas.html

Macqueripe Beach. (n.d.). Retrieved from Destination Trinidad and Tobago : https://www.destinationtnt.com/macqueripe-bay/

Tucker Valley History . (2016, May 31st). Retrieved from Island Hikers : http://islandhikers.com/tt-trails/tucker-valley-history/