Want to know the first person to climb Mount Elgon? Mount Elgon is an important part of life for the people in Mbale, Sironko, and Kapchorwa. The discovery of the mountain by Europeans is linked to Frederick John Jackson.
Frederick John Jackson was the first European explorer to climb to the summit of Mount Elgon in 1889. He climbed the mountain from a base camp in present-day Kapchorwa. His love for adventure led him to the summit to experience a new part of nature in Uganda.
Jackson came to East Africa as an explorer with the aim of mapping territories and making treaties to expand the British Empire. The region around Mount Elgon, with its fertile soils and strategic position, quickly attracted British interest.
He later wrote a book titled Early Days in East Africa, where he shared stories about his life around Mount Elgon. He circled the mountain, met the Bagisu people who live on the slopes, and recorded their customs, farming methods, and leadership structures.
To remember his exploration, Jackson named both Jackson’s Peak and Jackson’s Pool. Jackson’s Peak is a free-standing volcanic plug on the western side of the mountain, reaching about 4,165 meters. Jackson’s Pool is a natural shallow pool located near the peak at an altitude of about 4,050 meters.
Because of Jackson’s writings, other Europeans came to follow his steps. Among them was Professor J.W. Gregory, a British geologist, who visited the mountain in 1893, only three years after Jackson’s climb.
Image Credit: UW Archives #S15741
