25 YEARS AGO ON AMBERGRIS CAYE   BY ANGEL NUÑEZ

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The First Airstrip

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Mestizos came from the Bacalar area in Mexico during the. Caste War with the Mayas, and this happened in 1848, over 150 years ago. During the next few weeks we will be learning about the "firsts" of many events, people, places, things, etc.

FIRST AIRSTRIPS- the first one on Ambergris Caye was built at Basil Jones on the northern end of our island. In the 1940's and 1950's the government had given an oil exploration company a license to drill for oil as there was evidence that some rich oil veins crossed in this direction between oil veins of Mexico and Guatemala. A very large-scale exploration took place at Basil Jones as heavy equipment was brought to the island for the oil drilling. In fact, oil was found- but not in large commercial quantities.

The heavy equipment came by barge, of course, but the bosses and engineers and experts would not travel by boat, so an airstrip was cleared and leveled at Basil Jones and 4 seater planes landed there regularly transporting personnel of Phillip Petroleum. When the company terminated its operations. weeds took over the airstrip, but at times it was found that the strip was being used for clandestine activities, perhaps to load or unload drugs. No evidence of that ever surfaced, but why would anyone clear that field, and it was not done only for exercise, or to admire it. That field still remains and with no police or immigration in that area, it would be a good idea for the police to keep an eye on it.

The first air strip at San Pedro was cleared around 1964. Mr. John Greif wedded to Celi Nunez was working diligently to establish the first hotel for San Pedro. He had seen the potentials for tourism and also knew that air transportation would facilitate the growth of tourism.

Area Representative Louis “Cuz” Sylvestre at the time was very influential and so was Mr. Jim Blake, who was the owner of the land. That first airstrip was all grass, very narrow, and about one third the length of the present airstrip which has very appropriately been named the John Grief II Airstrip.

Jim Blake had the land and was persuaded, so it was cleared of bush and coconut trees, and San Pedro's airstrip began to take shape. It was bumpy and grassy, but soon John was making some short landings. In 1965, Holiday Hotel was inaugurated and soon commercial flights were established at the rate of I flight a day.

Today there are between 75 flights taking off from San. Pedro on peak season on a daily basis and an equal number returning. John Greif's airstrip could one day become international.

FIRST AIRPLANE: The first plane to land on Ambergris Caye had to be one from the Petroleum Exploration Company at Basil Jones up north. However, the first plane to actually land here was a sea plane owned by a young and handsome pilot of Kentucky, Mr. John Greif. The first aqua landing was at the lagoon behind the village and the seaplane docked at a little pier by the football field. The entire village came to see this historic and awesome landing. (I guess we call it a landing) This first sea plane was one of the moving factors behind the Holiday Hotel, the pioneer hotel for San Pedro and owned by John and Celi. From there came the development of the airstrip, local commercial airlines, and the commencement of tourism for San Pedro. This dates back to the 1960's. Today we have the best airstrip in the country, even over the Belie City strip.

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