James Earl (grazier)

Last updated
James Earl
James Earl (24 October 1835 - 14 October 1905) of Butchers Hill, Lakeland. Cooktown and Laura River area, Queensland.jpg
Born24 October 1835
Cambridgeshire (England)
Died14 October 1905
Townsville, Qld
Occupation(s)Merchant, cattle supplier
Known forcontributions to cattle farming and growth of the area
FamilyHis daughter married a neighbour Charlie Wallace

James Earl (1835-1907) was a merchant in Far North Queensland of cartage and started cattle breeding.

He is well known for his contributions to the local area. [1] [2]

Butcher's Hill was historically referred to in order to describe locations, for example references to north, south etc. of Butchers Hill. [3] [2] This was because of the cattle station owned and run by Earl who became a butcher and the cattle station was known as Butcher's Hill. Butchers Hill could also refer to the Station. [4] In modern times Lakeland is more commonly used and referred to as a landmark in the local area.

The Lakeland road stop is situated en-route to Cooktown from Cairns / Port Douglas / other southern locations. This road stop has various information that are in memory of James Earl.

James Earl lookout is a local tourist attraction and located nearby.

Biography

James Earl was a native of Cambridgeshire. [1] He came as a youth to Australia in the gold rush era. After landing in Melbourne he spent time prospecting for gold in Ballarat, Bendigo, Sandhurst, Victoria. [1]

He later became a merchant and supplier. He recognised the value of cattle breeding and the ability to breed cattle in the Far North Queensland area.

He arrived in Queensland with his brothers William and Thomas, taking up the Yacamunda station on the Belyando River in the Bowen area. [1]

The brothers took up the Iffley Station in 1864 but the following year were affected by a major flood. [2] The brothers sought refuge from the floodwaters in nearby trees while the floods carried off their entire stock. They subsequently returned to Yacamunda. [1]

In 1873, 10,000 miners [5] arrived in Cooktown, travelling on foot or on horseback to Palmer.

This influx of people provided business opportunities for the Earl family.

The brothers started their lucrative cartage business which included routes beteeen Cooktown and Palmer as well as other areas in the Cook district. [1]

One of the resting stops on the road was Butcher's Hill and there is now a roadhouse and tourist/passerby stop in Lakeland previously known as Butcher's Hill station.

Earl took up the station in 1874 [5] without his brothers by dissolving the partnership while relocating his share of the Yacamunda Station stock to the new station. [1] This was lucrative because of the influx of population to the Palmer area because of the recently discovered Palmer goldfields.

Earl diversified into selling meat to the public via butcheries locally in the goldfields area (supplying Lakeland and Palmer River) and Cooktown.

“Red Water Fever” decimated cattle supplies. Earl diversified into horses.

Earl later retired and moved to Townsville where he died in the hospital there after a lengthy illness. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park</span> Protected area in Queensland, Australia

Rinyirru (Lakefield) is a national park in Lakefield, Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia, 1,707 km northwest of Brisbane and 340 km north-west of Cairns by road, on Cape York Peninsula. At 5,370 km2 - making it bigger than Trinidad and Tobago and almost as big as Brunei - Rinyirru is the second largest park in Queensland and a popular place for fishing and camping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Laura is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Laura had a population of 133 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeland, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Lakeland is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Lakeland had a population of 333 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coen, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Coen is a rural town and coastal locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. The town of Coen is inland on the Peninsula Developmental Road, the main road on the Cape York Peninsula in far northern Queensland. In the 2021 census, the locality of Coen had a population of 320.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maytown, Queensland</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Maytown was the main township on the Palmer River Goldfields in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is now a ghost town within locality of Palmer in the Shire of Cook, having been active from c. 1874 to the 1920s. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 1 June 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palmer River</span> River in Queensland, Australia

The Palmer River is a river in Far North Queensland, Australia. The area surrounding the river was the site of a gold rush in the late 19th century which started in 1873.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Aplin</span> Australian politician

William Aplin was an Australian pioneer, businessman and politician of Queensland, Australia in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooktown, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs in 1770. Both the town and Mount Cook which rises up behind the town were named after James Cook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christie Palmerston</span> Australian explorer and prospector

Cristofero Palmerston Carandini or Christopher "Christie" Palmerston was an Australian explorer and prospector in North Queensland. He led several expeditions during the last quarter of the 19th century including the discovery of a route along the Mowbray River, which eventually led to the founding of Port Douglas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Douglas-Douglas</span> Naval officer

Alexander Douglas Douglas was a naval officer, an inspector in the Native Police and a chief inspector of police in Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Lakeland</span>

William Lakeland was an Australian explorer and prospector in the late 19th and early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alley Family Graves</span> Cemetery in Queensland

Alley Family Graves is a heritage-listed cemetery at Gillies Highway, Gordonvale, Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1887 to 1977. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 23 August 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooktown Cemetery</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Cooktown Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at Charlotte Street, Cooktown, Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1874 to 1920. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 8 April 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooktown Powder Magazine</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Cooktown Powder Magazine is a heritage-listed gunpowder magazine at Webber Esplanade, Cooktown, Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built from 1875 to 1876 by Henry J Meldrum. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wairuna Homestead</span> Building in Australia

Wairuna Homestead is a heritage-listed homestead at Wairuna Road, Wairuna, Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1940s by Harold and Norman Johnston. It is also known as Wairuna Station Homestead and Cemetery. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 9 August 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo Saxon Mine</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Anglo Saxon Mine is a heritage-listed mining camp at Groganville, Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1886 to 1897. It is also known as Groganville Township and Limestone Cemetery. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 3 October 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Venture Mulligan's Grave</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

James Venture Mulligan's Grave is a heritage-listed grave at Bakers Road, Mount Molloy, Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1907. It is also known as Mount Molloy Cemetery. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Byerstown is an unbounded locality and former gold rush town on the Palmer River, now situated in the broader locality of Palmer, Queensland. It was once a commercial hub for the surrounding goldfields and a stop on the road to the Hodgkinson goldfields further afield.

Butchers Hill is the name of the area where a historic cattle station in Far North Queensland, Australia operated during the late 1800s.

Yacamunda Station is a historic cattle station in North Queensland near Bowen. In 1935 it was one of the largest cattle stations in the state and played a significant part in the growth and development of early Australia. It was later sold in 2007 as a functioning cattle station. Historical references and photos are available for reference.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Townsville "Bulletins."". Evening Telegraph. 1905-10-16. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  2. 1 2 3 "ON THE TOP RAIL". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 1946-06-04. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  3. ↑ "PENINSULA PAGES". Cairns Post. 1940-08-21. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  4. ↑ "Notes on the Cooktown Show". Cairns Post. 1910-06-21. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  5. 1 2 Buhrich, Alice (December 2016). "Cultural Heritage Investigation West Normanby River" (PDF).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.