ANNIVERSARY DAY.
Yesterday was the seventy-fourth anniversary of the settlement of New Plymouth, and in referring to this fact the “Taranaki Herald” reminds its readers that the first settlers landed on the beach at Moturoa from the William Bryan on March 31, 1841. Of her 1-18 passengers naturally few now survive, and less can have much recollection of the conditions ruling when they arrived. Those who were old enough at the time to 'gather and retain distinct impressions must find it interesting to-day to compare the New Plymouth of to-day with the spot as they first saw it. It is only half a century ago soldiers and civilians were employed in road-making towards Oakura, with the object of enabling the coastal district to be re-settled, it having been devastated by the Maoris during the war. In the early eighties there was but a fringe of settlement around the mountain. The land from Stony River to Opunake was practically all in Native hands. There were very few settlers along the Waimate Plains and these did not extend beyond the open laud. Along the Mountain Road between Inglewood and Normanby there were scarcely any settlers more than a mile or two away from the railway line, which was opened as far as Hawera in 1881. Inglewood was christened just forty years ago, and the first sale of Stratford town sections took place in June, 1877, the railway reaching there two and a-half years later. Eltham came into existence several years later. Even thirty years ago the country to the east of Stratford was an unknown land, at least only known to a few adventurous spirits, and the same may be said of the country northward of the White Cliffs. Inland Taranaki was an impenetrable forest, not exactly untrodden by the foot of man, but almost so. But great changes have come about and greater are still in store. As our contemporary points out, considerable towns have grown up at Waitara,lnglewood, Stratford, Eltham, Hawera,Manaia, Opunake and Kaponga,while much further afield Whangamomona and Oh ura are becoming Important business centres, though after all it may be said that Taranaki is scarcely out of its infancy..
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Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 76, 1 April 1915, Page 4
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361ANNIVERSARY DAY. Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 76, 1 April 1915, Page 4
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