Michael McAdam

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Full name:  Michael Adams / Michael McAdams

Lifespan: fl.1890s-1925?

Aka: "Rory of the Hills"

Occupation: prospector

Biography

He was an Irish prospector and miner in early Rhodesia, particularly associated with the Manicaland region (eastern Zimbabwe, around Mutare/Umtali). Known as a hard-drinking, disorderly character who frequently appeared in court for being drunk and disorderly - yet he kept returning, unreformed. Historical accounts from Rhodesian/Zimbabwean heritage sources describe him as a colorful figure in the growth of Manicaland's mining and settlement scene.

"When I was a boy I was friendly with some of the men of the Pioneer Column. Ted Stone, Rory of the Hills and others were nice friendly fellows, and I was always interested in the stories they told me about the very early days. Rory of the Hills was quite a "roughneck", and a friend of Ted Story and Tex Long."

As a prospector, he was always hustling for sponsorship or grubstakes to fund expeditions into the countryside, searching for gold claims or new strikes. He operated in the pioneer era of Manicaland (late 1890s - early 1900s), during the post-Pioneer Column gold rush when prospectors flocked to the eastern highlands for reefs and alluvial deposits.

One vivid anecdote ties him to local medical lore: He was a regular patient treated by a Dr. Walter Alexander (medical officer at Rezende Mine, Penhalonga, from 1925 onward, but with earlier regional ties), who handled his frequent ailments from his rough lifestyle.

Sources
  • Shovel and Sieve. Rosenthal, E. c.1959. George Allen and Unwin: London.
  • The Pioneer Vol 3: The Rhodesia Pioneers' and Early Settlers' Society. 1968.

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