Le Gros-Morne

History

Le Gros-Morne is a commune in the north-central region of Martinique. It lies west of Sainte-Marie, Trinité, and Le Robert; north of Le Lamentin; east of Saint-Joseph and Fonds-Saint-Denis; and south of Le Marigot.

The name “Gros-Morne” reflects its mountainous topography. The commune’s motto is “Aut Honor, Aut Nihil” (“Honor or nothing”), and its coat of arms features a pineapple set against a mountainous backdrop, flanked by coconut leaves and sugarcane branches.

Originally inhabited by the Carib Indians, the area remained under their control even after the arrival of the French. The Caribs, who occupied the Atlantic side of the island, fiercely resisted French attempts to seize their fertile lands. From 1654 to 1658, the colonists launched a brutal campaign of extermination. The surviving Caribs fled to Dominica and Saint Vincent.

It wasn’t until the late 17th century that the region began to develop. Initially just a district, Gros-Morne was part of the parish of Trinité until 1743, when it became a parish in its own right.

Among the crops cultivated, cacao played a central role, earning Gros-Morne the nickname “cocoa capital” of the island. In 1722, it produced 1,400 tons of cacao, primarily for export.

During the French Revolution, Gros-Morne briefly became the island’s capital in 1790, when Count de Damas and his rural faction took refuge there to resist attacks from the urban party.

By 1837, Gros-Morne was officially one of Martinique’s 20 communes. Its first mayor, Louis-Guitteaud Dufourgeraux, was elected that same year. Another notable mayor, Aristide Maugée, elected in 1956, was a close associate of Aimé Césaire and co-founder of the literary journal Tropiques.

Historically rooted in agriculture, Gros-Morne has often been stereotyped as a rural, “country” commune.

Economy

True to its pineapple-emblazoned logo, Gros-Morne’s economy is deeply tied to agriculture and agri-food production.

Its main crops today include sugarcane, bananas, and pineapples, alongside smaller-scale food crops such as yams, various cabbages, carrots, turnips, lettuce, and tomatoes. There are also growing efforts to diversify into horticulture and pig farming.

The agro-food industry began in 1908 when Baron Daniel de Sommery capitalized on the region’s pineapple production by establishing a cannery in the Dénel district. That same pineapple became the emblem of Royal S.A., a company that would go on to produce canned pineapple juice and sliced pineapple preserves.

Over time, Royal expanded to process a wide range of tropical fruits into juices, jams, and jellies, sold wholesale in cans.

The only distillery still operating in the commune is Habitation Saint-Étienne, which produces a variety of rums. In 1920, Gros-Morne was home to around twenty small distilleries.

Neighborhoods

The main districts of Gros-Morne are 2 Terres, Bagatelle, Bas 2 Terres, Bois Lézard, Calvaire, Côte d'Or, Croix Blanche, Croix Girin, Croix Jubilé, Croix Odillon, Belle Terre, Dénel, Dessaint, Dominant, Dosithée, Dumaine, Glotin, La Birot, La Fraîcheur, La Nazaire, La Tracée, La Vierge, Les Flamboyants, Magnan, Morne des Olives, Petite Lézarde, Poirier, Providence, Rivière Lézarde 1 & 2, Rivière Pomme, Sinaï, and Tamarins.