Mussoorie

Mussoorie
Presidency: Bengal
Coordinates:	30.45, 78.08
Altitude:	1,826 m (5,991 ft)
Present Day Details
Place Name:	Mussoorie
State/Province:	Uttarakhand
Country:	India
Transport links
Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway at Dehra Dun

Mussoorie is a hill station situated in the foothills of the Himalayas. It was developed by the British from 1825 as a summer retreat and remains a popular tourist destination. Several boarding schools catering for British families were established in and around Mussoorie and its satellite, Landour. There was a British cantonment at Landour.

Spelling variants

• Mussoorie, Mussooree, Masuri
• Landour, Landaur

Schools

• Convent of Jesus & Mary established 1845. Girls' Catholic School.
• Fairlawn School was originally established as the Sind, Punjab and Delhi Railway School in August 1877 and later renamed the North Western Railway School. In 1894, the school closed and the pupils were transferred to Oak Grove School (see below).
• Oak Grove School was founded in 1888 by the East Indian Railway and took in the pupils from Fairlawn School when the latter closed in 1894. The school still enjoys a connection with Indian Railways.
• St George's College was founded in 1854 by the Capuchin Fathers and transferred to the Patrician Brothers in 1894.
• Woodstock School was founded in 1854 as the "Protestant Girls' School" in Cainville House, Mussoorie. History
• Wynberg-Allen School was founded in 1887 and transferred to its present location in 1894. History
• Rev Robert North Maddock’s school "Grant Lodge", established c 1850 pages 6-7 Eighteen years in the Khyber, 1879-1898 by Colonel Sir Robert Warburton KCIE CSI 1900 Archive.org
• In the year 1905 the Philander Smith Institute of Mussoorie, founded (in 1884) by a Mrs. Smith, widow of Mr. Philander Smith of Illinois was moved to Naini Tal and “amalgamated” with the Oak Opening Boys’ High School and the result was the Philander Smith College.

For more information about schools, including additional schools, refer The Guide to Mussoorie in 'Historical books online' below.

Useful Sources

• Mussoorie Merchant: The Indian Letters of Mauger Fitzhugh Monk 1828 - 1849 published by Pagoda Tree Press. This set of previously unpublished letters home give a fascinating insight into the early days of life in Mussoorie.
• Mussoorie Medley: Tales of Yesteryear, published by Niyogi Books, 2010. Extensive, well-researched book by local historian and university lecturer Ganesh Saili. Outlines the British period in Mussoorie in depth, with many anecdotes and historical photographs. A review of the book, Hill, Vale & Many A Tale from Outlookindia.com
• Mussoorie and Landour: Days of Wine and Roses, published by Lustre Press Pvt Ltd, New Delhi. (Can be purchased through online booksellers such as Amazon.com, or you may be able to interloan it through your local library.) 1992. Fascinating account of the two hill stations, with historical photographs, by well-known author Ruskin Bond and lecturer/historian Ganesh Saili, both Mussoorie residents.
• Mussoorie and Dehra Dun are mentioned in this 1861 Google Books link. A general search of Google Books for 'Mussoorie' will also yield interesting snippets.

External links

• Mussoorie Wikipedia
• Landour Wikipedia
• "The Landour Community Centre Cookbooks: From the 1920s to the 1960s and the present" by Katharine (Kittu) Parker Riddle. An article dated 1 July 2003.
• This India List post dated June 2011 gives the contact address for the couple who maintain the Camel Back Rd Cemetery in Mussoorie
• "Mussoorie blues" by Rakhshanda Jalil, July 15, 2012, thehindu.com. Includes mention of Eugenie Catherine West (d. 1895). She was the first superintendent of the Christian Training School and Orphanage that was to later transform into the Wynberg Homes and finally the Wynberg Allen School as it is now called.

Historical books online

• A description of Masuri and Landaur, The Land of the Five Rivers and Sindh: Sketches Historical and Descriptive, page 260 by David Ross 1883 Archive.org
• Extracts from Guide to Mussourie, 1908 "Compiled from various sources for F Bodycot, Mafasilite Printing Works, Mussoorie". 54 page pdf. Original book at least 150 pages. Note this pdf may be slow to load
  • Information about schools may be found on pages 47-52 of the pdf.
  • Notes on the Guide to Mussoorie by Philip McEldowney
• "Map of Mussooree and Landaur", between pages 280 and 281, A Handbook for Travellers in India, Burma, and Ceylon published by John Murray, London Eighth Edition 1911 Archive.org.
• "Extract of a Report on the Medicinal Garden at Mussoorea, addressed to the Honorable Sir C. Metcalfe, Bart, in charge of the Honorable Company's Botanic Garden, Calcutta" by J. F. Royle, Esq. Transactions of the Medical and Physical Society of Calcutta Volume 4 1829, page 406
• "Topographical and Sanitary Report on Landour" by Ludovic C Stewart, Staff Surgeon Major, page 309 Army Medical Department: Report for the Year 1862 Google Books