mountisa

Community Store, Mineside. This was a company owned store for Mount Isa Mines Employees only and was on a pay deduction system. It contained a general store, fruit and vegetable store, chemist and Post Office agency. At this time the main Mount Isa Post Office was located in West Street about opposite the Mount Isa City Library today.

In 1926 the Mount Isa Hotel was built by Samuel Allen. A team of tradesmen started construction on the corner of Miles and Marian Streets. It included coffee and dining rooms, saloon bar, lounge, and billiard room on the ground floor, with twenty-three bedrooms with balconies upstairs, stables and a garage at the rear. Mr. H. Smith accepted the position of manager of the new Mount Isa hotel. The hotel license was granted on Wednesday 26th September 1926, and the hotel opened on that day. Locally it was known as the ‘Top Pub”, “Smith’s Pub” and later ‘The Isa”. The Public Bar was boasted as Australia’s longest bar, it later became Australia’s second longest bar. Apparently Kalgoorlie held the record, so they increased the length of their bar by a few inches to regain their record. The bull ring at the Mount Isa Hotel, a square wooden floor area located just off the saloon bar where many arguments were settled with flying fists, resembled a boxing ring, although its primary purpose was to provide ventilation in the centre of the big hotel building. It had long wooden seats for patrons not wishing to sit at the crowded bar. These popular events often required having to book ahead for the tournament.

An extract from The Northern Miner (Charters Towers) Wednesday 17th April 1929. On the arrival of the train Mr. Mullan boarded the engine, and taking the controls, piloted the train past the cheering crowd and broke the ribbon which was stretched across the line. This was held by Mrs. Holley and Mrs. Glendenning. Mount Isa's first lady residents. There seemed to be a tremendous crowd present. The whole of the district must have been out, and some were present from Camooweal and beyond, having motored in for the occasion. The opening of the railway coincidentally occurred on the same date of the turning of the first sod three years previously in Duchess. /however the railway line was not operation for public use until the 15th May 1929. At this time the population of Mount Isa was around 600 people. By August 1929 it had exploded to well over 2,000.