PIONEER RECOLLECTIONS.

Mataura Ensign, 10 September 1909, Page 4

PIONEER RECOLLECTIONS.

HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT. A PAGE Hi DM THE VAST. (Collected by H. Beafctie.) XX—THE FIRST BUILDING IN GORE. Oor first lioo.se wasna 1 braw, Aiming tlie iern and flax; Whaur cabbage trees and tutu rank Grew wild along the burnie'g bank, An' doubled oVt tlie tracks: The spot's no far awa'. —R. N. Adams. Streets there are, but none aro seen, Sites for homes with grass ore green; Bring the pick, the bar, the spade, Clear the way for peace and trade! Flax and tern, and rugged earth Move! A cit- comes to Birth. Tin 1 writer lias never been able to ascertain who discovered or who first named the Longlord. It was most probably the late Mr Alex. McNab, or some of bis employees who first crossed the Mataura at this point. It will be remembered that, as already stated in this series of articles. Mr McNab took up two runs on o""osite sides of the river and for » time worked both in conjunction. The shepherd's hut on the eastern side was near Otama, so that the most central and convenient place for lording the river must have lieen near the locality now known as "The Wash]K>ol." But when the small yards constructed of brushwood were put on '-'The Terrace" (in what in now East Gore) the handiest crossing from there to the homestead at Croydon Hush was the long shallow liar 'that slanted across the river just below the terrace. Mr A. Robertson, of Forest Hill, in his reminiscences (given in No. 8 of this series) mentions tcrossing of one thousand eight hundred and titty-six sheep from the Hokanui run to the Knapdale station, but he does not record the 'art of the river where the crossing was effected. These small details may seem unimportant, but they are interesting because they not only throw light on obscure points, but olten give the historian the key to larger knowledge. The mainsprings of human activity are frequently moved bv the most trifling occurrences—in other words. '•Great oaks from little acorns spring." The writer has read somewhere* that the great city of Chicago owed its origin to some trivial circumstance in the liioneer davs of Illinois. so wliv not record the trifles that led up to the existence of the town at one time jocularly called "The Chicago of the South:-'" The question as to who first, cross..,l the Mataura at the was once the subject of correspondence ill the 'Otago Witness,' bul the controversv instead of identifying the discoverer or name-giver only left the matter in its original state of per plcxity. However, if definite testimony is not available, on this point there is no lack of information extant in regard to the personnel of parties who used (he ford in the days before any sign of permanent human habitation marked the site of future Gore. A Lonely Locality.

Mr Thomas Mac Gibbon in a speech delivered at a conversazione in the Goro Presbyterian Church in 1597 said:

"It is 39 years ago sinco I first camped ou the banks of the Mataura river—then a clear, silverv. pellucid streamon the site now occupied by the town ot Gore. There was then nothing but a solitude, unbroken save bv the plaintive cry of the euail or tho shrill 'capoo' or croak of the wcka or woodhon. The only resident within your present municipal bounds was a Mr Glendeiining, who owned a run on the Waikaka. He was tending his Hock close to East (.•ore, and slept in a tent of very primitive construction. We crossed the river at the Longford, the water being so shallow that, it did not quite cover the gravel all the way across. We—that is. l my late father and myself—were the second settlers north of Croydon. There were then uo wet tiers in all the wide districts of Otama, Chat-ton, Waikaka, etc. Miss McNab was the only woman for many miles round, aud children there were nolle where now we see hundreds wending their way to school." Some six or seven months later the party headed bv Messrs Johnston and Adam crossed the Longford, and it is said that Mrs Johnston was the first while woman to cross here. There was then no one living anywhere near the ford, so that the tout mentioned by Mr MacGibbon must have been used merely as a tomporory abode until tile owner shifted elsewhere. A little later still the Messrs Mac Gibbon crossed again on their way back to Dunedin. and about January 4. 1809. the family crossed en , route to their new home at Mataura. An Early Visitor.

Speaking of the Mataura river, Mr W. H. S. Roberts says: "The Mataura had a number ot fords north of Tuturau, where it could bo crossed, the best being the 'Longlord,' where Gore is now situated. All the New Zealand rivers were daugerous to cross when Hooded, as the water ran very swiftly aud was t-.o cold, and a great number of persons were drowned before bridges were built." In another place Mr Roberts writes: "On January 8, 1859, I rod- to Croydon. Mr Nathaniel Chalmers had that run then, Mr McNab having sold it and moved across the Mataura to Knapdale. Mr Chalmers asked me to remain to dinner, and introduced me to his bride. Sho was an exceedingly pleasant lady, highly accomplished, aud bad for a few years been governess in Dr Richardson's family at Oaklands. Aftor dinner Mr Chalmers accompanied 1110 ou my journey. We rode down to the Longford and crossed, although it was rather high and a very long up-stream lord. About half a mile further on we lorded the Waikaka, a stream flowing through a rich Hat on which grew luxuriant llax and tall brown tussock grass. We crossed on a rocky bottom and then climbed a spur of Otakaramu hill, urn! descending by another ridge arrived at Mr Alex. Chalmers' lotue station. He had just completed the sah> of Otakaramu run. with improvements. 1000 sheen and 50 head of cattle, to Captain J. T. T. Boyd for £3ooo. which was considered a very high figure. The run was well "rassed, but rather rough, with very deadly tutu on it. Mr Alex. Chalmers had taken up a large run at Aloa Flat, and was to leave Otakaramu in a few days." An Appropriate Name. An early "tourist" through- Otago was Mr Joseph McKay, well known in (lore as the founder of the 'Mataura Ensign.' In the Otago Jubilee number of tie' 'Evening Star' Mr McKay wrote: "Longford (now Gore) I have crossed ami rccrossed many a time before thero w;as any Gore or sign of human habitation. between Mac Gibbon'» (.Falls) alld Conical Hills on one side of the river, aud Wantwood on the other: and a long aud puzzling ford it was of a dark night ami flood times." It might bo as well to explain that the ford ran from .just below the railway bridge on the east side to about where Mr Kemp's cordial factory now stands on the west hank, a distance of perhaps -100 yards, liy reason of this slant travellers from the Otago side had a comparatively ea»y down-stream crossing, whilo those triim the Southland side had a long ciiri-ent-stemmiii" wado uustream. The usual traditional lore that gathers round the topographical features of a country has collected round tho Longford. and the writer has echoes of old-time gossip floating about. For instance, it is said that some teamsters looked too freely on "the wine when it is red" and upturning a valuable load in mid-stream left it there while tliov went "on the spree'' again. The Longlord was not nearly so much used as the one at the Falls, because it was 011 a less-frequented route. Prior to the time of tho diggings it was very seldom used, but after the discovery of gold at Wakatipu aud Nokomai it came into requisition with a rush, and for a t-imo ! was on the regular route to the new goldfields. Early Owners of the District.

The following letter appeared in the 'Otiit;o Witness,' Julv 26, IPUO. and tor itself:—"Sir.—l have to thank your correspondent who wrote 'Round About Oore' in your issue of July lit for mentioning my name as 'the first man to cross' tlie Longford. It is an honor to be associated with any discovery of utility in the early days of a new country, but in this case I cannot accept the unmerited honor. 1 certainly rode across tho Mataura river on Januarv 8, 1859. at the Longford, but it harf been cVoS£ed by Europeans and named some two years previously.!

cannot tell you who was the first to do so. but presumably Mr Alex. McNab, or one of his employees, was, for Mr McNab took up.as sheep runs the country on both sides of the river in September, 1855. The run oil the east bank, numbered 111 and named Kuapdale, extended from the Pyramid to the Waikuka river immediately below the Longford. The run on the west, named Hokanui, or Croydon station, reached from the Otaijiita stream to the Charlton. Mr McNab stocked "the Croydon run early in 1850 with sheep, horses and bullocks imported from Australia, and shortly after ho stocked the Knapdale run with imported shoe]). In 1858 lift sold the Hokanui run to Nathaniel Chalmers, who was afterwards Provincial Treasurer for Southland. Mr Chalmers did not keep the run long, but sold to Messrs Hill Bros., who came from Sydney. These were the first occupiers of the land on which Gore now stands. An Adventure.

"The ford was called 'Long' bocause it went such a distance down stream from a shingle beach on the east to the lauding ou the west bank, tho water opposite the entrance being deep, and close to a high bank on the west, whero n boat was afterwards used for crossing foot passengers. To the oast of the ford and below it tho water ran against the east bank, forming a deep channel, so the ford was a high shingle bank between two deep channels, aud over a quarter of a mile long, with water from 2ft to 4ft deep in the centre of the riv-er as a rule. It was easily crossed from east to west, but was a difficult and dangerous ford from west to east if the water was over 4ft deep, as the current was very v-V'ft, and tho horse had to wade with breast full against it up stream. i nearly met with an accident there on Match 10, 1862. I was driving a norse in •: spring-cart across the river up stream with another man, his wife, and time children. When we got about 70 yards in the water ran inside tho collar and either choked or frightened tho horse and he fell, and I could not get him i p again. I jumped out and held his head above water while my companion took oil' the harness; then I led him ashoreThe railway bridge is only 400 ft long—ten spans of 40ft. The Beginning of Gore. "Your correspondent remarked that 'Gore has uo early history.' There was a day when tiie first house or hut was erected there. 1 have no written memoranda about it, but if my mouijry serves me correctly tho first house was put up by Daniel Morton during the winter of 1862. The Nokomai rush' was in the spring of 1862, gold having been discovered thero, in Moa Gully, during August, 18C2, by James Lamb's party. The road from .Dunedin to Nokomai left tho main south road at Waiwera, following tho leading ridges to Waipahi aud over Landslip Hill to Longford, for a year or so till the shorter road via tile Pyramid was opened. All carts, waggons, and the coach, not excepting the escort, crossed die Mataura at Longford, where the road from luvercargill joined. About •September, 1862, Dan Morton sold out to Wm. Mayow, who, in February, 1863, re-sold to Morton, he afterwards selling to Joseph Burrows. The latter kept, the house with a bush license till 1870 or so, when he gave place to Edvard Brennan. It was Joe Burrows •vlio put on the boat for crossing travelers. Tim opening of the Pyramid road made a great difference to Longlord, and thero was some talk of closing the inn. When the town of Gore was surveyed the 'sheep track' your correspondent mentions was the wellused road to the diggings, wider and more worn by traffic than Main street

:s now. Gore soon grew into a villago ■ltid on July S, 1885, was raised to the dignity of a municipality, with an area of about 1280 acres, and iu 1890 Gordon was annexed to it. As I am not certain of the dates of .Morton's and llreniian's occupation I shall bo pleased if any of your readers shall correct me if in error.—l am, etc., W. H. S. Roberts." Some of the points raised iu this letter will be discussed as the story of thi! rise and progress of Gore proceeds.

A Long-felt Want. It was really tho gold dscovories to the northward that occasioned the erection of tho first building in Gore. Aftef Gabriel Read's great discovery at Tuapoka in June, 1861, the country for many miles round was carefully prospected and various "rushes" occurretl. In November gold was reported to have been found at Mount Valpy (Tapanui) on Captain Mackenzie's run and the "Blue Mountain rush'' ensued, aud a month later the Waipori diggings broke out: Other goldtields were discovered at intervals, and in September, 1862, the Nokomai rush took place, whilo about the same time the Switzers (Wai. kaia) field was opened. As has been already described, the route from Dunedin to these diggings was by way. of the Longford for about a year, after which a shorter route via Pyramid was largely used. The writer thinks he is correct in saying that the first gold escort from Dunedin to Queenstown came this way and passed over the Mataura at Longford. The gold escorts from Nokom-ii and Waikaia certainly passed this way the first two or three times, but eventually took more direct routes. The Wakatipu diggings started early in 1862 and most of the supplies needed were carted up from luvercargill. The route followed was up to the Longford, along the eastern bank of the Mataura with a re-crossing of the river at Pyramid, thence up the Wainiea Plains to the Elbow, and thence due north to Lake Wakatipu. With so much traffic passing it is not surprising that someone should realise that thero was a splendid opening for an accommodation house at the Longford.

Mr Alex. Syme. Tho writer thinks Mr Roberts is wrong in saying that tho first house was built in Gore during the winter of 1862, as there is a consensus of local opinion that if. was built at the end of 1862. Mr A\ . F. Boyer, who crossed the Loiigtord about September, 1862, savs that there was then no sign of a building on tho site of what is now Gore. Mr W. Johnston, who narrated his recollections to the writer some eleven years ago, gave tho dato of the erection of tho first building in Gore as late iu 1862 or early in 1863. Tho man who drove the first nail in tlie building, Mr Alex. Syme, of Gore, in an interview two years ago, kindly supplied the writer with the''following interesting narrative:—"! left homo in 1859 and landing at Lyttelton in January, 1860, worked as a carpenter :u Christchurch, the workshop being near a llourmill on the river Avon. Money was very scarce in Canterbury so I camu south in search of work. Bcll ! Hill was still a prominent feature in Dunedin and here I stayed and wrought for one Brunton. A man named Brand, from Tapanui, a shipmate of Brunton's, came to Dunedin looking for workers and Mr Brunton referred him to me, and I was engaged to go pit-sawing at the Blue Mountains. This was in tho winter of 1860. We used to go carpentering on the neighlioriiig runs and worked at."Moa Flat and Greenvale. The latter run was then owned by Capfull] luveraritv, but tho origiual'ownor was Glendeiining. It was a terrible place for wild dogs. Glendeiining was still shepherding in the district, and slept in a 'maimai' that was so small "on had to go ou hands and knees to get into it. At one time Glendeuning owned a line place iu Victoria. An Historic Edifice, "In 1862 a party of us went to tlie diggings for three months, most .if which time was spent at Waitahuua, but three weeks of it was at Munro's Gully, where wo did fairly well. The venture was not too successful, however, so we went back to the Blue .Mountains again, where I wrought at the erection of a woolshed on Dalvey station, which was then owned by Mr Dickison (father of Mr John Dickison, of Chattou). Messrs Morton and Brand were partners iu the saw-pit and were my employers.. Morton is now iu! Yt nnganui, and Brand, after residing at Greenvale for many years, now lives at Greenfield. (Messrs James Brand. London, and Peter Brand, Lennox street, Gore, are sons and are wellknown in the district.) Morton saw 1 the possibilities of coining money in a handy place like the Longlord and journeyed to Invereargili, where ho made arrangements with tho Southland Provii cial Council to take out a £5 bush h"?nse, erect an accommodation-house and a stable, aud put. a boat on the river. Messrs Morton, Brand, William iuair (of Kelso), and myself began to erect the accommodation-house, but Mr

Brand went away shortly after we started. Mair and a Tasmanian called Bob Taylor worked a saw pit at Croydon Bush and a team of bullocks brought the timber down to us. I erected the frame of the building, and it is from this circumstance that I claim to be the first to drive a nail in Gore. The building was probably finished in the beginning of 1863. It had four rooms below and above there was a loft containing about a dozen bunks. There was so much traffic, however, that the building soon proved to be too small to put up : all who called.

The First" Private Dwelling, "Mr Brand came baok just as the Lake diggings broke out afresh, aud he and 1 became partners in a team of bullocks and took a load from luvercargill to Kingston. Aftor enduring tho customary hardships of 'teaming' in those days I came to Longford m the latter end of 1863. Tho first stable liad stalled six horses, but as this was inude. quate Cobb and Co. built stables capable of accommodating thirty animals. The accommodation-house stood about tho spot where the high school is to be built in tho noar future and the stables were near it. Prior to this the land near the Longford had been surveyed into twelve half-acre sections, valued at £23 each. Morton's place was a grant, but he bought tho adjoining section for his own use. Altogether Morton had the use of a 30-acre paddock, and as he put a fence up the waggons had to make a deviation to pass it. Robert Tweedie, Morton's father-in-law, was in Gore in 1863. He was a blacksmith, and put up a. building which he sold to 1110. It consisted of ono big apartment, but I soon converted it into a comfortable cottage of three rooms. It was built of weather-boards 'thirty shillings a hundred at the stump' and had a thatched roof. 1 married shortly after aud my wife and I occupied this, tho first dwelling-house on the west side of the Longford. It stood on No. 2 section, and its site is now occupied by tho building known as Mr Wixou's fish shop. "Very shortly aftor I bought my cottage Mr Small, a waggoner, built one where Mr Noilson's aerated factory is now. The section where the jailwny line runs oil to the bridge was bought by Dr Menzies and ho let, it at a peppercorn rental for many years. Sundry Reminiscences.

"I have seen it stated in print that Mr E. Brennan was tho first postmaster, but this is incorrect. Morton and Harry and Joseph Burrows all acted in that capacity during their occupancy of the accommodation-house. .Messrs Flint and Co. had the mail contract in the early days mid I fancy Mr Frank Fraser rode soiuo of the mails for them. A police-camp was Ciuilt shortly after tho accommodation-house was erected aud a trooper was stationed here. The successive troopers' names aro easily rememberod, as tlio first was a Butler, tho second a Baker, and the third a Bird. A punt, 40ft by 16ft, and capable of conveying a waggon and six horses, was put on tho river. The Rev. Urie, of Tapanui, arrived on horseback shortly after, and he and his horse were transported across. The rev. gentleman was the only one who ever used the punt as shortly afterwards it was swept away in a flood. A man named Jamieson left the Otakaramu run and opened the first store in Goro in the early seventies. The storo also had a lxittlo license, and it was situatod on Dr Mouzies' section. Jamicson sold out to Carmichael, who also rented the section at a mere bagatelle. At the first the gold escort came this way several times, but they lottnd a shorter route via Pyramid, and this fact lost the accom-modation-house a great deal of custom. The present roads follow tho lino of the old tracks very closely in many cases, tho roads then were bad, and even in Dunedin they were often deplorable and occasionally clog-carts had to bo despatched iu lieu of tile proper mailcoaches. 1 remember once going from Dunedin to the Taieri and the road was something fearful. We only had one liorso between two of us and we 'rode and tied'—that is, ono rode so tar aud then tying tho horse to a fluxbush walked ou while the other rode a spell and so on. The roads usually followed Uie spurs and ridges to avoid the low-lymg, swampy ground. For instance, the road from Waipahi did not loilow thtf valley to Longford but came over the Otakaramu lulls. The place-names then were much the same as at present, the most notable exception being the substitution of 'Gore' for Longford.' I remember the late Mr Alex. McNab once told me that the name 'Gore' had been given when tile sections were laid off in 1862 and that the name was in honor of our governor t.ore-Browne, who was at that moment in lasmania. Be that as it mav, no one seemed to be aware of the name as evet-yone used 'Longford,' so that "Hen the railway came to Gore in 187S ;|nu the name 'Gore' was put on the station everyone was surprised."