Trade centres · pre-1822 and continuing
Grand Bassa
The St John estuary and its chain of Bassa towns: rice, camwood and a coast trading on its own terms.
Biography
The Bassa littoral between the Mesurado and the Cestos was densely settled, agriculturally rich and commercially independent. Its towns dealt directly with European captains, set their own customs and required a landlord relationship of anyone wishing to trade.
The estuary gave access to the interior by canoe, which is what made it a market rather than merely a landing.
Historical significance
A coastal economy that predated and outlasted every European station on it.
Timeline
- pre-1500Bassa towns established on the St John and Benson rivers
- 17th–18th c.Regular camwood and rice trade with European shipping
- 1832–35Bassa Cove and Edina settlements founded nearby
On the map
Associated with St John river mouth. Open the historical atlas.
Related entries
References
- Dunn, Beyan & Burrowes (2000). Historical Dictionary of Liberia.
- Brooks, George E. (1972). The Kru Mariner in the Nineteenth Century.
Suggested reading
- Dunn, Beyan & Burrowes (2000).