Editing Mutare (section)

==History==
[[File:Mutare1.jpg|thumb|left|Main Street looking southwards, June 1997]]
Although the city was founded in the late nineteenth century, the region has a long history of trading caravans passing through on the way to the [[Indian Ocean]], from ports such as [[Sofala]], to inland settlements, such as [[Great Zimbabwe]]. Zimbabwe is also renowned for its soapstone carvings and figurines which are evidence of these trade routes, dating as far back as the late [[African Iron Age]] (c. 900 AD) right up to the colonial period. A large hoard of soapstone carvings, jewellery, weapons, sherds and other objects were found in the vicinity of Mutare by the British archaeologist E M Andrews at the beginning of the twentieth century - they were later donated by the trustees of [[Cecil Rhodes]] to the [[British Museum]] in 1905.<ref>[https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/x61200 British Museum Collection]</ref> The soapstone figures, which are both [[anthropomorphic]] and [[zoomorphic]], might have been part of a [[votive offering]], as they were discovered near what appeared to be an altar.
Mutare was founded in 1897 as a fort, about 8&nbsp;km from the border with [[Mozambique]], and is just 290&nbsp;km from the Mozambican port of [[Beira, Mozambique|Beira]], earning Mutare the title of "Zimbabwe's Gateway to the Sea". It is sometimes also called  "Gateway to the Eastern Highlands". Many Zimbabwean locals refer to it as 'Kumakomoyo' (place of many mountains). There is a border railway station on the [[Beira–Bulawayo railway|railway line from Bulawayo to Beira]] with a railways mechanical workshop.<ref name="Zeleza">{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century African History |editor1= Paul Tiyambe Zeleza |editor2= Dickson Eyoh |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415234794 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qjolgQhpFtoC |year=2003 |chapter= Bulawayo, Zimbabwe |author= Mlambo, Alois}}</ref>

The area was the site of Chief Mutasa's [[kraal]]. In 1890 [[A. R. Colquhoun|A. R. Coquhoun]] was given concessionary rights and Fort Umtali (the fort later became Mutare) was established between the Tsambe and Mutare Rivers. The word ''mutare'' originates from the word 'Utare' meaning iron (or possibly meaning gold). The name was probably given to the river as a result of gold being discovered in the [[Penhalonga]] valley through which the Mutare River runs.

In 1891 the location was moved to a site now known as [[Old Mutare]], about 14&nbsp;km north of the city centre. In 1896 the construction of the railway between [[Beira, Mozambique|Beira]] and [[Bulawayo]] led to the town being moved a third time so that it was closer to the railway line – compensation was paid by the [[British South Africa Company]] to the townspeople for the cost of moving. The town was proclaimed a municipality on 11 June 1914 and in 1971 it was granted city status. The name was officially changed from Umtali to Mutare in 1982.

The [[White Zimbabwean|white population]] in Umtali dropped from 9,950 in 1969 to 8,600 in June 1978.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1980/0115/011546.html|title=Rhodesia city skeptical as border opens|last=Thatcher|first=Gary|date=1980-01-15|work=The Christian Science Monitor|access-date=2017-12-03}}</ref>

The city had a [[trams|tramway]] from January 26, 1897, to May 23, 1921, which transported passengers from the Railway station up to the (then Umtali Club) now Mutare Club. The Tramway was at the centre of Main Street where the palm trees now stand.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ourstory.com/thread.html?t=483474 |title=Archived copy |access-date=1 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202101335/http://www.ourstory.com/thread.html?t=483474 |archive-date=2 December 2016 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

There were plans to set up a Stock Exchange in Umtali. The main post office was at the site where CABS centre now stands.