Timeline of Port Louis
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Port Louis on the island of Mauritius. Prior to 20th century 1606 - Dutch settlers start to use this area as a harbour which they call Harbour of Tortoises, after their initial 1598 settlement at Port de Warwick in Ferney, Vieux Grand Port. 1721 - French in power on Isle de France; Noord-Wester Haven (harbor) renamed "Port Louis." 1729 - Hôtel du Gouvernement built. 1735 - Development of Port Louis begins (approximate date). 1749 - Le Réduit (fort) built near Port Louis at Moka. 1772 - Bagne Prison built. 1774 - Line Barracks or Casernes Centrales is inaugurated after start of construction in 1740. 1782 - construction begins.(de) 1790 - Thomas Enouf becomes mayor of Town of Port Louis. 1791 - Foundation of Collège National or Collège Colonial in Port Louis. This would later become Lycée Colonial and eventually the island's first Royal College. 1794 - Town renamed "Port de La Montagne." 1795 - Town renamed "Port Nord-Ouest." 1803 - Captain Matthew Flinders is arrested during a port call to repair his ship Cumberland as Governor De Caen believes he is a British spy. 1805 - Mosque constructed. 1810 Invasion by British navy and army forces from Bombay, Madras and the Cape of Good Hope which land between Cap Malheureux and Bain des Boeufs in late November and early December. For 6 months after the British invasion the "Lycée Colonial" is used as a military hospital. Town renamed "Port Louis" again. Population: 24,000. 1812 - Champ de Mars Racecourse opens. 1816 - Fire. 1822 - Political prisoner Ratsitatane (from Madagascar) is sentenced to death and is beheaded at Jardin Plaine Verte 1838 - (Fort Adelaïde) built. 1847 - Roman Catholic Diocese of Port-Louis established. 1849 - Development of Coolie Ghat immigration depot begins. 1850 February: Municipal election held. March: Louis Léchelle becomes mayor. 1852 - Mosquée des Arabes established. 1864 - North line railway begins operating. 1866 - Municipal government headquartered in the Hôtel d’Europe building. 1867 - Malaria outbreak. 1870 - General Post Office built. 1869 - Port Louis economy affected by opening of Suez Canal in Egypt. 1880 - Foundation of Mauritius Institute. 1887 - Revue historique et littéraire de l'Ile Maurice begins publication. 1892 - 29 April: 1892 Mauritius cyclone occurs. 1897 - 22 June: Statue of British queen Victoria unveiled. 1899 - Due to a plague epidemic the original Royal College Port Louis is permanently closed down as people flee Port Louis to settle in the cooler highlands of Curepipe. 20th century 1904 - 8–9 June: Flood. 1906 - Pagoda Riots between three rival clans (Hakka, Cantonese, Fukienese) over control of Cohan Tai Biou Pagoda 1907 - Population: 30,899. 1910 - Government House rebuilt. 1911 - Riots, which started in Curepipe, spread to Port Louis 1919 - Population: 40,106 metro. 1933 - Catholic St. Louis Cathedral rebuilt. 1942 - Airport established in Plaine Magnien, 48 km from Port Louis. 1945 3 tropical cyclones strike