Timeline

1853 - William and Charles Archer became the first Europeans to pass Ironstone Mountain (later named Mount Morgan) on a trip up the Dee River.

1882 - Three brothers; Frederick Morgan, Thomas Morgan and Edwin Morgan begin mining for gold on Ironstone Mountain.

Thomas Morgan		Edwin Morgan

1883 - The brothers were joined by William Pattison, Thomas Hall and William D’Arcy, to form the very first syndicate to mine the mountain.

1885 - First mail service began between Mount Morgan and Rockhampton.

1886 - Frederick, Thomas and Edwin Morgan all sold their shares. Later that year The Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company Ltd was established by the remaining parties.

1887 - The Central State School became the first school in the area, with 288 pupils enrolled in the first year. Later that year the first bank and Telegraph Station was opened.

An early photograph of the Court House

1889 - The first General Manager of the Mount Morgan mine, James Hall funded the construction of the town’s first Church of England, which still stands to this day.

1890 - The town's first Municipal Council was established. That year the Council built the town's first General Hospital. The local Chinese community, quite large at the time, erected a commemorative shrine (know as Heung Lew) in the town cemetery.

1892 - First police station established.

1897 - The first of Mount Morgan’s famous swinging bridges was constructed across the Dee River.

A postcard featuring one of the swinging bridges

1898 - The first ever train arrived in Mount Morgan, over the treacherous Razorback Range.

1899 - The Queensland National Hotel was built which would later be used as a lookout post during World War Two.

Illustration of Queensland National Hotel		The hospital

1900 - The Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company built a much-needed dam on the Dee River.

1901 - The Mount Morgan Gas and Lighting company begins to supply the town with gas for street lights, hospitals, churches, hotels and private houses via underground pipes.

1902 - A severe drought had hit the region. Local man, Clement Wragge set up his Stiggervortex-rain gun, which was intended to shoot the clouds and produce rain. The experiment failed. Later that year the Council displayed the town’s Coronation Light to acknowledge the coronation of King Edward VII. The Light, now residing in ANZAC park, was originally powered by gas. These days, it is powered by electricity. The Light became a central meeting point for the town. A plaque now sits in its place to commemorate the local men who signed up to fight in the Boer War. The Mayor would use the spot to read news during World War One to local school children. Later that year the town’s Baptist church was erected, which still remains to this day.

1903 - Another gold rush in the Dee Ranges saw up to 1000 miners return to Struck Oil, bringing the township back to life. The Mount Morgan Masons built their Masonic Temple, which continues to operate now.

Miners

1904 - Welcome rain filled the Dee River Dam for the first time, much to the relief of the local town and subsequently to the Mining Company.

1905 - The gigantic smoke stack was constructed at the mine, built from 750,000 bricks.

Gigantic smoke stacks were constructed at the mine

1908 - A major boxing tournament held at the Olympia Theatre was abruptly cancelled when it was announced a huge landslide at the town had buried and killed five miners.

1909 - The "Linda Memorial" was erected to commemorate the 26 miners who died in the town during 1894 and 1909. The Memorial, which still exists today, is a fine example of the high quality of work of local stone masons at that time.

The Linda Memorial Committee, of ten members, planned and erected the memorial

1912 - The local State High School was established which is still in use today.

1913 - The town established the first ambulance service.

1922 - A large fire in Morgan Street burnt local business. The town still did not have a fire service or town water supply.

1923 - On ANZAC day another fire saw the end of the local School of Arts, the Imperial Hotel and a small number of shops. This was the second School of Arts to burn down in Mount Morgan.

An early school		One of the 13 schools in Mount Morgan

1925 - A huge fire broke out in the gold mine, destroyed many of the underground workings. An effort to control the fires actually flooded the mine making the section unworkable for years to come.

1926 - Following the fire the mine was plagued for years with poor productivity. At this stage Mount Morgan was at its peak size, as was indicated by the towns 13 schools.

1927 - In 1927 the Mining Company went into voluntary liquidation.

1928 - Torrential rain lead to sections of the local dam being washed away. The ensuing flood caused many deaths in and around the town.

A dead cow caught in a tree after severe flooding		Grand Hotel

1929 - Mount Morgan Limited was publicly listed.

1937 - The town's first motorised hearse came into operation, a 1921 Buick.

1942 - Mount Morgan’s first fire service was set up.

1951 - A deviated railway line was finally constructed, which saw the end of the rack-railway system over Razorback. The deviated route cost £350,000 to build and took 30 months. The old rack railway system had successfully functioned for 54 years without fail.

1957 - An open letter was addressed to employees of the mine outlining the position that Mount Morgan Limited was facing because of the low grade of copper being produced by the mine. That same year, the town’s Culliungal Hotel burned to the ground after escaping a similar fate in a nearby fire in 1896.

1961 - An important era of the town came to an end with the closure of the Mount Morgan Gas and Lighting Company after 60 years of service.

1967 - The town’s first historical museum was opened by Member of Parliament, George Gray. Later that year, the closure of the local railway station and the relocation of many of its employees lead to a significant reduction in population and activity in the town.

1968 - The mining company Mount Morgan Limited became part of the large mining conglomerate Peke Wallsend Pty Ltd. The town also received a new $540,000 hospital in that year, built on the same site as the original 1890 hospital.

1981 - The mine closed.

2002 - Mount Morgan Experience founded.

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