Rhodesian Maps 1890 – c 1945

(click on maps for a closer look)

Southern Rhodesia map 1927 map at 1 : 1 000 000 scale. LR
Southern Rhodesia 1927 at 1 : 1 000 000 scale. Among points of interest are: The Pioneer Road is shown as Selous Road after the chief scout who guided the Pioneer Column. The road to Chirundu and Kariba goes no further than Urungwe and of course Karoi did not then exist. The site of Beitbridge, which had not yet been built, is between Middle and Main Drift roughly where the BSAP post is located.

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1923 map of the Rhodesias showing railway and telegraph lines
1923 map of the Rhodesias showing railway and telegraph lines

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Extract of Salisbury district from 1909 mapping of Rhodesia at 1: 500 000 scale The above series of maps was compiled in the office of the Surveyor General, Southern Rhodesia and this extract shows clearly the farms established by 1909.
Extract of Salisbury district from 1909 mapping of Rhodesia at 1: 500 000 scale The above series of maps was compiled in the office of the Surveyor General, Southern Rhodesia and this extract shows clearly the farms established by 1909.

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Pioneer Road from 1895 map of Rhodesia at 1 : 1 000 000 scale This map shows both the original pioneer road, surveyed by Selous, and the very slightly more direct telegraph line. The site of Beitbridge is between Middle and Main Drift and I have marked it "B B" across the river.
Pioneer Road from 1895 map of Rhodesia at 1 : 1 000 000 scale. This map shows both the original pioneer road, surveyed by Selous, and the very slightly more direct telegraph line. The site of Beitbridge is between Middle and Main Drift and I have marked it “B B” across the river.

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Melsetter District Map 1895
Melsetter District Map 1895

Melsetter District Map 1900
Melsetter District Map 1900

The maps above from 1895 and 1900, at a scale of 1:1,000,000, show the Eastern District when it was first being opened up.

That from 1895 is probably the first ever large scale map of the area and the “road” made by Thomas Moodie is shown as a single line crossing the Sabi at Moodie’s Drift and the Tanganda at New Year’s Drift before eventually reaching Melsetter Settlement.  At this stage most of the boundary with Portuguese East Africa had not yet finally been agreed.

The second map of the same area and scale shows some changes as at 1900. Notably the building of a road and telegraph line from Umtali to Melsetter village and from there a road to what must then have been an extremely remote BSAP post near where the Mt Selinda Mission was later established.

In 1898 a border agreement with Moçambique had been signed with Portugal at Macequece more or less along present lines. Sadly for Rhodesia in many places the line was to the west of what had been hoped for.  The final, present day, boundary was not finally agreed until late 1940.

The other points of interest on both maps are the descriptions which actually well convey the nature of the land concerned.  That for the area around the Tanganda River between Middle Drift and New Year’s Drift being marked:  “Fine Country well watered”.

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Eastern Highlands of Rhodesia 1929 mapping at 1 : 250 000 scale

The above mapping was first published in 1929 with the northern third of the map partially revised for major changes in 1944 and the remaining southern section similarly revised in 1947. Thus the Birchenough Bridge, at the bottom of the map is shown; having been opened just before Christmas 1935. At this stage, although hill features are shown, there were no contours marked.