[2] In 1874, J. H. Waters Gravenhorst is credited with the discovery of guano in Aruba,[3] although an earlier interest was shown by an American named S.R.

Additionally, in early 1909, phosphate was also discovered slightly further north, near a lower ridge named Bank Jerôme.

[5] The deposits resulted from large colonies of seafowls that foraged of the surrounding rich waters during late Pleistocene (about 1.8 million years Before Present).

[6] The Aruba Island Gold Mining Company in London became entangled in a prolonged legal dispute with the colonial government.

In 1867, Francisco de Isola[7] was granted the "exclusive right to mine the land holding minerals on Aruba" for a 25-year period.

The concession was put up for auction, and on January 7, 1879, it was awarded to a British resident named Charles Brodie Sewell, who, however, acted in consultation with the Aruba Island Gold Mining Company.

Mining of the substance began promptly; a general agent for phosphate sales was appointed in London; chemical analyses were performed.

To tackle this issue, an iron pier had to be built where vessels could dock directly to receive their cargo from the trucks, eliminating this inconvenience.

The journey from the mines to the loading pier involved twenty-car trains propelled by a light locomotive along a narrow gauge track.

The material from these underground mines had to be spread out in open areas for drying by the sun and wind before it could be suitable for shipment.

Drying the material in ovens was considered but deemed impractical due to the associated high costs, including coal consumption.

Over a span of 28 years (1881 to 1909), statistics reveal that a total of 742,561 registered tons of phosphate were exported from San Nicolas to France, England, Denmark, and America[4] where it is processed into superphosphate by treatment with sulfuric acid and then used as fertilizer.

Most of the houses at San Nicolas were constructed by the company, and immigrant labor, particularly from Italy,[b] played a pivotal role in propelling the industry forward.

This growth was accompanied by the establishment of modern infrastructure, including the construction of an iron landing and a six-kilometer-long 762 millimetres (2.5 ft)[19] narrow-gauge Decauville railway[20] designed for transporting phosphate to the harbor.

Notably, the Aruba Phosphate Company did not engage in trading provisions and groceries; instead, these essential items were provided as part of the workers' wage compensation.

Local shopkeepers made sales, while schooner and small ship owners maintained ongoing vessel operations.

This facilitated the consistent transport of vital supplies from Curaçao and nearby cities in Venezuela and Colombia to the island.

During this period, the state of the company was characterized as challenging, primarily because reduced freight rates for Florida phosphate to Europe enabled American miners to compete fiercely with Aruba.

[23] The early 20th century saw a decline in phosphate profitability due to factors such as deeper extraction, poorer quality, and competition from other sources.