Today in history: On September 12, 1890 – Salisbury, Rhodesia, is founded.

 

In 1890, Salisbury was founded in the region then known as Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe) by the British South Africa Company under the leadership of Cecil Rhodes. The settlement began when the Pioneer Column, a group of settlers and armed police sent north by Rhodes, established a fort on September 12, 1890. The location was chosen for its favorable climate, fertile land, and access to water, making it suitable for farming and settlement. It was named Salisbury in honor of the British Prime Minister at the time, Lord Salisbury. The establishment of Salisbury marked the beginning of formal British colonial presence in the territory and laid the groundwork for the expansion of Rhodes’s vision of a British-controlled southern Africa.

Over time, Salisbury grew rapidly from a small colonial outpost into the administrative and economic center of Southern Rhodesia. Roads, railways, and government offices were constructed to cement British control and facilitate commerce, especially in mining and agriculture, which were central to the colony’s economy. Salisbury would later become the capital of Southern Rhodesia, and eventually, after independence in 1980, it was renamed Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. The founding of Salisbury in 1890 therefore represents a significant turning point in the region’s history, ushering in decades of colonial rule, shaping the socio-political landscape, and leaving legacies still felt in modern Zimbabwe.

See also: Today in history: On September 12, 2007 – Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada is convicted of plunder.