In 1648, a party of French and Dutch that lived on the island of St Martin decided to divide the land into two. The French came here to cultivate tobacco and the Dutch to collect salt.

The tradition said that two walkers were supposed to come from the seashore and meet in the middle. Where they met, they established the border. If the walkers ran or not is not known, but the end result is that the French part is larger than the Dutch side. Legends said the French drank wine as a stimulant and the Dutch gin, and because of this, the Dutch were more sluggish advancing.