July 10 1959 the Hon Norman Manley set off a dynamite blast and "as rocks and earth soared upward the £1000,000 Negril area development began". So was the historic event described in the Daily Gleaner, which went to record Mr. Manley's confidence that this was "a calculated risk and adventure for the future of the county". He recalled that it was over 20 years prior to this that he had been told about N egril by "a famous traveller" who had expressed the opinion that this was by far the best beach in the Caribbean and one of the best in the Western Hemisphere.ln taking the decision to develop the area. Mr. Manley expressed complete confidence in the prolect.

But what of Negril before this significant milestone?

The name Negril may have been derived from references made by the Spaniards to the black cliffs "Punta Negrilla". Some local persons link the name to the black congar eel which inhabited the rivers of Negril and which were caught and eaten by the residents.One historian has suggested that the name may have been associated with the Negrillo - a tree similar to a Black Poplar. Negril is associated with naval exploits. First the Spanish and then the English. It was considered one of the best harbours in the world and be found on early Spanish maps. The harbour was isolated.being cut off from the rest of the island by the Great Morass which also offered some protection from attacks by land.One writer records that in 1502, The Marouis de villa Lobes, Abbot of Jamaica said that Jamaica had very good and commodious ports, deep and spacious enough to hold 100 sail. such as Negril.

Spanish history recalls that Negril was a haven for Pirates. One French pirate reportedly used the port as his base for attacking fifteen Spanish craft.The Buccaneer John Rackham, also called Calico Jack, was captured by the English naval officer Johnathan Barnet in Negril Harbour and was taken to Port Royal and hung at Gallows Point which became known as Rackham Cay. Negril Harbour subsequently became a meeting place for convoys heading back to England. In her famous diary. Lady Nugent recounts that in 1805, the convoy was scattered by a squall when one of the ships was boarded by a Spanish pirate.

The harbour was considered unsuitable for shipping produce because of the large swamp - the Great Morass, the Island's largest fresh water wetland. lt was perceived as having little value, as unsuccessful attempts had been made to drain le morass for agricultural use. As early as 1774, Edward Long in his History of Jamaica refers to the Great Morass as "a place that may possibly be drained and cultivated." The absence of fresh water and roads delayed development and was these issues that Mr.Manley raised in 1958, when he sought approval from the House of Representatives for implementatlon of the Negril project.The development cost twice the original estimate as unforeseen difficulties, including hard rock excavations, proved to be more expensive than had been anticipated. The work included construction of two ridges and a road, provision of a water supply, river control drainage to divert flood waters and to prevent silt-laden water being discharged into the bay.