Fort Victoria – Gateway to Rhodesia

In 1890, after emerging from the lowveld onto the relative safety of the highveld, the pioneer column halted to build a fort which was named after Queen Victoria. The prefix was dropped in 1899 and the town became known simply as Victoria. However in 1917 it reverted to its original name.

Fort Victoria in 1928 showing the Old Watch Tower, Post Office and Government Offices.

Fort Victoria was founded in 1890 and was Rhodesia’s first town. In the early years it was also the first town reached by the visitor to Rhodesia, but was soon eclipsed by Bulawayo once the railway arrived there in 1897 and henceforth that city became the main point of entry to the country. In practice the town is usually referred to as “Fort Vic” and, as it was not connected to the railway network until 1914 and even then only by a branch line, it became somewhat of a backwater in the development stakes compared with what might have been. Never-the-less as road traffic increased after the opening of the Beit Bridge over the Limpopo it was usually the first town reached by visitors from down south who often used it as a base for visiting the Zimbabwe Ruins and, in later years, Lake Kyle. It is the centre of a mining and agricultural district with cattle ranching being of some importance.

The town is the chief settlement of the Victoria District and lies at an altitude of 1 067 metres / 3,502 feet above sea level.

The mean annual rainfall over 50 years is 621mm / 25.4 inches.

The mean maximum and minimum temperatures for the three seasons are:

July: 21,9C / 71.4F and 5,2C / 41.4F October: 30,1C / 86.2F and 15,2C / 59.4F January: 27,1C / 80.8F and 16,9C / 62.4F

The estimated population in various years (where known) was as follows:

Year	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1941	1951	1958	1964	1969	1977
European	119	222	259	364	321	441	796	1 500	2 400	2 528	2 600
African										8 500	18 000
Asiatic										153	200
Coloured										194	300
Total										11 375	21 000