Joseph Thomson

It was 13 years before Rebman’s sighting [of Kilimanjaro in 1848] was confirmed by the German Officer Baron Karl Klaus von der Decken and the young British geologist Richard Thornton. Von de Decken climbed to about 14,000 feet and experienced a fall of snow. Thornton made many observations of the mountain and estimated accurately that it stood about 20,000 feet above sea level. Six years later the missionary Charles New managed to reach the snowline. Then in 1884 the naturalist Henry Hamilton Johnston made an intensive study of the flora and fauna.

Undaunted by this [Paraguayan] misadventure, in 1878 Keith managed to secure the leadership of what would be the last R.G.S.-sponsored African expedition, an attempt to discover a viable route for a road from the East African coast inland to the great African lakes. Captain James Frederick Elton, the vice-consul at Zanzibar from 1873, had set out on a similar mission, but had died on the return leg of his expedition to Lake Nyasa in 1877. Keith was to be accompanied by the 21-year-old Joseph Thompson, but the two did not get on, Keith's quiet scientific intelligence exasperated by his companion's gung-ho attitude.

After spending time in Aden, and then several months in Zanzibar outfitting the expedition, Keith and Thompson set off from Dar Es Salaam on 19 May 1879. On 28 June, only 40 days later, and less than 150 km from Dar Es Salaam, Keith was dead from dysentery, leaving the 150-man expedition in the hands of the bewildered 21-year-old Thompson. Thompson, subsequently the first European to traverse Masailand, went on to become an African explorer to rank with Livingstone and Stanley, even though he also died young, at 37. Keith Johnston meanwhile has been almost forgotten.

The Scot Joseph Thomson ventured into the Ruvuma area in 1880, the French Giraud went South to Zambia via Tukuyu, and Smith entered Mozambique in 1884 via Kilwa.

The first European to record a sighting of Meru was the German explorer, Karl von der Decken, who reached this area in 1862. The mountain was later seen and described by other explorers, including Gustav Fischer in 1882, and Joseph Thompson the following year. In 1887, the Austro-Hungarian Count Samuel Teleki and members of his team penetrated the dense forest on the lower slopes and reached a point where the trees thinned out enough for them to see Kilimanjaro, which they planned to climb later in their expedition. The first ascent to the summit of Meru is credited to either Carl Uhlig in 1901 or Fritz Jaeger in 1904.

More than ten years pass till numerous attempts between 1883 and 1889 culminated in the final conquest of Kilimanjaro.

Joseph Thompson who visited the area in 1883, didn't really attempt an ascent. He describes in his book Through Masailand (1885,pp.144-147) how he started on a one-day expedition from Moshi (Mandara's) without camping equipment in April 1883 ; by 9 a.m. he was at 5,000 feet and by 1 p.m. at 9,000 feet, where he turned back after 7 hours climbing, being reluctantly compelled to desist and give up my intention of penetrating above the forest region. Thompson then left. Chaggaland and travelled through what is now Kenya, giving us the first description of the north face of Kilimanjaro (op. cit pp. 209-214). He comments on the lack of population on the northern .slopes, which he attributes to "Its extremely precipitous nature, there being no projecting platforms, and no streams".

Joseph Thomson was the next to attempt the ascent in 1883, and though he failed to penetrate higher than 9,000 feet, his observations gave the first geological study of the mountain.

I would like to know if you have an electronic copy of "Through Maasailand" by Joseph Thompson. I am doing research on the Maasai and would like to read this pivotal text in Maasai history.

Thank you in advance.

Best,

Lisa Matthews

Cultural Survival

Education Program