Mount Margaret, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Mount Margaret also once known as Craiggiemore is an abandoned
town in Western Australia
located 900 kilometres (559 mi) east of Perth
situated North of Lake Carey and south West of Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.
The first European through the area was the explorer John Forrest
who visited the area in 1869. He named a nearby hill Mount Margaret after Margaret Elvire Hamersley
whom he later married in 1876. The Indigenous Australian name for the same hill is Kalgara..
Gold
was discovered in the area in the 1880s and was discovered close to the town in 1894 by James Ross and R. McKenzie. The main mines name was Craiggiemore which is situated on the Eastern side of the town. By 1896 the local progress association began campaigning for the townsite to be declared. By 1897 lots had been surveyed and the townsite was gazetted in the same year.
A police station opened in the town in 1898 but was closed in 1899.
Following a drought
in the area in 1921 Rod Schenk
established the Mount Margaret Aboriginal Mission in 1922. In 1924 many Aboriginal people were forced to came to Mount Morgans
for food following another drought and hostility towards them by local station
owners.
When the Mount Morgans and Linden food depots were closed in 1927, the Aboriginal peoples moved to the Mission at Mount Margaret.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
town in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
located 900 kilometres (559 mi) east of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
situated North of Lake Carey and south West of Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.
The first European through the area was the explorer John Forrest
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
who visited the area in 1869. He named a nearby hill Mount Margaret after Margaret Elvire Hamersley
Margaret Forrest
Lady Forrest , born Margaret Elvire Hamersley, was the wife of Sir John Forrest. Born in Le Havre, France, she was a member of the prominent and wealthy Hamersley family; her father was Edward Hamersley , and amongst her brothers were Edward Hamersley and Samuel Hamersley...
whom he later married in 1876. The Indigenous Australian name for the same hill is Kalgara..
Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
was discovered in the area in the 1880s and was discovered close to the town in 1894 by James Ross and R. McKenzie. The main mines name was Craiggiemore which is situated on the Eastern side of the town. By 1896 the local progress association began campaigning for the townsite to be declared. By 1897 lots had been surveyed and the townsite was gazetted in the same year.
A police station opened in the town in 1898 but was closed in 1899.
Following a drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
in the area in 1921 Rod Schenk
Rodolphe Samuel Schenk
Rodolphe Samuel Schenk was an Australian missionary.He attended a New South Wales interdenominational theological college and in 1917 joined the United Aborigines' Mission...
established the Mount Margaret Aboriginal Mission in 1922. In 1924 many Aboriginal people were forced to came to Mount Morgans
Mount Morgans, Western Australia
Mount Morgans is an abandoned town in Western Australia located east of Perth situated along the Old Laverton Road in between Leonora and Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia....
for food following another drought and hostility towards them by local station
Station (Australian agriculture)
Station is the term for a large Australian landholding used for livestock production. It corresponds to the North American term ranch or South American estancia...
owners.
When the Mount Morgans and Linden food depots were closed in 1927, the Aboriginal peoples moved to the Mission at Mount Margaret.