Soufriere shows signs of Amerindian occupation. Until recently however, there was little evidence to show that they had been there in any numbers. Now, the discovery of the terraces and carved rocks at Belfond and the exciting new find of the petroglyph near Jalousie indicate that Soufriere was perhaps one of the most important sites of all. After the Amerindians, the first permanent settlers to arrive were the French who came around the end of the 17th Century. Already well-established in Martinique, the realized that the rich fertile soil of Soufriere would be ideal for farming. In 1746, Soufriere was, officially recognized by France, as St Lucia’s first town.