Archistori

Full name: Unknown Aka: "Only" Jones Occupation: Prospector “Only Jones” was another celebrated prospector. He was so called because in the pioneer area of Rhodesia he was the only one who had no hyphen to his name. He was a man of vigorous personality and I once saw a letter from him which read as follows: “Who the hell are you? I will tell you what you are. You are one of those ...s who wants a man’s property for nothing. I tell you what you can do. You can ... (Signed) ‘Only Jones’.” (Rosenthal) "With regard to Barend Vorster he has a beautiful farm about ten miles from Pietersberg, and his fertile brain would soon be developing another scheme, for shortly after this there is a case occupying the time of the Judiciaries at Pretoria. The “Only” Jones v. Barend Vorster Jr and Blencowe. It was a dispute over the ownership of some gold-claims in the Letabi district." (Darter) Barend Vorster appears to be Barend Jacobus "Swart Barend" Vorster (1830 Cradock ...

Full name: Unknown Occupation: Prospector He was a prospector in the Gatooma (now Kadoma) district, a key gold-mining hub in central Rhodesia (Mashonaland). Gatooma grew rapidly after the early 1900s with discoveries around Eiffel Flats and the Cam and Motor Mine area, attracting small-scale claim-holders like Anderson who pegged reefs and sold them on for quick profits.

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 ...

Full name: Ernest H.A. Cohen, EHA Cohen Lifespan: ? London - 1935 Occupation:  Mining engineer, adventurer Biography He was nicknamed "Alphabetical" Cohen due to his initials and extensive list of professional qualifications (such as M.I.M.E. and many others). This was a point of pride, as he reportedly instructed people to address mail to him simply as "Alphabetical Cohen, Rand Club." As a youth, he sailed around Cape Horn in 1876 to California, where he had an uncle. Expecting a bank job, he instead became the world's youngest bank manager at age 17 in a Wild West mining camp (amid the atmosphere Mark Twain captured in Roughing It - Twain was a personal friend). Popular with miners despite (or because of) his English accent, he was dubbed "the young sprig of British nobility." He then travelled through U.S. gold diggings, especially Nevada's Virginia City in its heyday, witnessing shootings, feuds, Indian raids, and the fading Pony Express era. ...