Winter on Saint Croix Island

NPS photo

The French who arrived at Saint Croix Island in 1604 thought they were prepared for the winter. They had food and shelter, but still almost half of the men died because of their diet.

What foods would you have taken to the island?

Choose Five Foods Below

After you have chosen your five foods, hover over each one to determine how many points you have earned. Total up your points and go to the bottom of the page to see if you survived the winter!

Almonds

Blackberries

Blueberries

Bread

Broccoli

Carrots

Cheese

Chicken

Corn

Eggs

Fish

Green Beans

Kidney Beans

Lettuce

Meat

Pork

Raisins

Salmon

Sweet Potatoes

Wild Rice

How did you do?

0-4 points

Oh no!  You didn't choose foods with enough Vitamin C and you got scurvy. Most of the men on Saint Croix Island had scurvy too.  Make sure you eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to avoid scurvy!

5-9 points

You chose foods with some Vitamin C, but you still got scurvy!  Fortunately, you made it through the winter and recovered when you ate some fresh fruits and vegetables.

10+ points

Congratulations!  You didn't get scurvy because you chose foods with Vitamin C!

Although you may have chosen a well balanced group of foods, if you didn't choose foods with Vitamin C, you probably got scurvy. Scurvy is terrible disease that affects the connective tissue in your body and might cause your teeth to fall out! The cause of scurvy wasn't discovered until 150 years after the men on Saint Croix Island died. Sadly, if they had just made tea from white pine or spruce, like the Passamaquoddy, they would never have gotten sick.