Grand Bahama in 1891

The island comprises 275,000 acres. It was not permanently settled until about 1806, although annually resorted to by lumbermen of the other islands for the fine timber with which it abounds. The soil along the seaboard is "white land" and yields fair crops of corn. The interior is well adapted to grazing, fresh water being abundant. Large quantities of fish and turtle are to be found in the creeks and shoal water. The inhabitants are principally employed in agriculture, sponging and fishing. There are no good harbours along the shore for large vessels, but with the wind off of the land the anchorage is good, particularly at the west end. Hawk's Bill Creek runs three miles north and south from Eight-mile Rock and is very/ picturesque.The settlements are McLean's, Carrion Crow Harbor, Freetown, Golden Grove, and Eight-mile Rock. They return one member to the House of Assembly with the Biminis.

Stark, James H. Stark's History and Guide to the Bahama Islands. Boston: James H. Stark, 1891, pp. 147 -148.

[It might be noted that this short description was drawn on for the entry in Northcroft's Sketches of Summerland (Nassau, 1900), p. 206, as well that of the Tribune Handbook (Nassau, 1924) and The Bahamas Handbook's 1926 description.]