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Sir Samuel

Sir Samuel is an abandoned town located between Leinster and Wiluna in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. Gold was discovered in the area in 1895. Officials lobbied for a townsite to be created in 1896 following the realisation that the area was becoming an important mining centre. The mining warden suggested several names but since the area was already well known as Mount Sir Samuel so the Mount was dropped and the town became Sir Samuel. The townsite was gazetted in 1897.The name is derived from the nearby Mount Sir Samuel that was named after Chief Justice and Lieutenant-Governor of South Australia, Sir Samuel James Way by the explorer Lawrence Wells, who was on a surveying expedition in the area in 1892. A police station camp was opened… more »