Roatan and Bay Islands Discussion List Archive


    Posted On: 27-Jan-2001
    From: "Sue Porubek" [sep835.....com]
    Subject: Re: [Roatan] Tourism, time, and place names


    Hello David.

    Thank you for the clarification of Tabyana Beach. Makes good sense and I
    appreciate the "history lesson." You are correct in that tourists often play
    a big part in names. Its too bad, sometimes .... "Ezekiel's Key" has a much
    more attractive sound (to my liking) than "Fantasy Island." .... Oh well
    .... thats progress.

    Thanks again.

    Sue

    david Evans wrote:

    Good afternoon Sue:
    Tabyana, as a name, existed long before islanders ever saw their first
    tourist, to say nothing of a resort, so without doubt the resort took its
    name from the old island name for the entire beach. West Beach is a
    relatively new name, and I suspect is a part of what was once known locally
    simply as Tabyana Bay. Like other beaches, for example "Camp Bay Beach", the
    word "Beach" is an add on of late. In the 1960s no one would say I'm going
    to Tabyana Beach or Camp Bay Beach. In a very real way, tourist have a way
    of changing the local place names of any place they go. Of course developers
    have a way with names as well..,.for example no one on Roatan had ever heard
    of "Fantasy Island" in the early 60s, except those who had seen it on TV,
    until Albert Jackson bought out the key and renamed it. It was for a long,
    long time known as "Ezekiel's Key", then it was also called "Arch's Big Key"
    or simply "Big Key", and even some called it "Goat Key" locally. And "Paya
    Bay" received its n!
    !
    ame, I suspect from the developers as well...it was always known locally as
    "Alligator's Nose" or "Alligator's Head", refering to the jutting land mass,
    with the bay itself having no name on most early maps. "Spyglass Hill" was a
    name bestowed upon the spot by Mr. Dee {Lorenzo Dee Belveal ) in the early
    70s, and so on. Place names can tell us a lot about the local history of an
    area if we happen to know older folks to fill in the names before tourism
    began, or have access to old maps.
    All the best....dke

    Sue Porubek wrote:
    To the best of my knowledge, they are one in the same. Tabyana being mostly
    that stretch of beach associated with the resort of the same name.

    david Evans wrote:
    Is West Bay the same as what was once "Tabyana Bay"? All the
    best....dke====================
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    Roatan Island Website
    http://www.wfu.edu/~dkevans

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