Rivers & landmarks · pre-1822 and continuing
Lofa River
The northern river highway linking the Gola and Loma country to the coast west of the Mesurado.
Biography
The Lofa rises in the Guinea highlands and runs south-west through Loma, Gbandi and Gola country to the sea. It is not navigable far, but its valley carried the footpath system that joined the northern forest to the coast.
Control of the crossings was a political fact: towns sited at the fords levied passage and could close the road.
Historical significance
Shows how rivers here functioned less as waterways than as corridors — and how ford-towns turned geography into revenue.
Timeline
- pre-1500Ford-towns established on the Lofa crossings
- 18th c.Corridor for salt, iron and kola between coast and interior
- 19th c.Route of Condo influence toward the sea
Related entries
References
- Anderson, Benjamin (1870). Narrative of a Journey to Musardu.
- Holsoe, Svend E. (1971). 'The Condo Confederation in Western Liberia.'
Suggested reading
- Anderson (1870).