Barrow Creek is a place in the Northern Territory in Australia , approximately 284 kilometers north-west of Alice Springs . Barrow Creek had about eleven residents in 2009.
The river Barrow Creek near the village was named by John McDouall Stuart on July 13, 1860 while crossing Australia. Godfather was John Henry Barrow , a clergyman, journalist and politician who came to South Australia in 1853 . In 1871 it was decided to build a telegraph station of the Trans-Australian Telegraph Line at this point . As a place, however, Barrow Creek could not develop very well because the water resources were too small and of insufficient quality. That is why the telegraph station was rebuilt 20 years later, 40 km from Barrow Creek, at the crossing point of Taylor Creek.
Skull Creek Massacre
In 1872, the first telegraph station was opened by James L. Stapleton and John Frank. The two were attacked and killed on February 27, 1874 by more than 20 Aborigines from the Kajtitia tribe at the telegraph station. The whites were outside at dinner and could no longer escape into the massive building. Stapleton died hours later after the attack and was able to send a telegram. The graves are marked by a stone wall in Barrow Creek.
The response to this raid led to the Skull Creek massacre , in which around 60 to 70 Aboriginal people were killed.
literature
Chris Coulthard-Clark: The encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles. Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest et al. 2001, ISBN 1-86508-634-7 , available online .
