THIS week, we targeted a township which, for years, has intrigued us with its mystique, rich historical background, and tremendous opportunities for business growth and investment. We were very amazed at the lush, majestic expanse of land in Linden that are very suited to  business investment in the areas of mining, sales, and almost every imaginable intended business venture.

We enjoyed the cool, refreshing wind in our hair as we travelled up and down the majestic highway en route to Linden.

The town
Comprising the communities of Mackenzie and Wismar, Linden is the largest urban centre in Guyana. It is the second largest town in Guyana after Georgetown, and is the capital of the Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice Region #10, located , according to the WikiMini Atlas, at 6°0′0″N 58°18′0″W / 6°N 58.3°W / 6; -58.3, altitude 48 metres (160 feet).
Lying on the upper Demerara River with a population of approximately 60,000 persons, Linden is primarily a bauxite mining town, containing many mines 60 to 90 metres deep, with many other pits now in disuse.
Linden does not have a university, since the University of Guyana (UG) is located at Turkeyen, part of Greater Georgetown, and at Port Mourant, in the County of Berbice.  

Accommodation
The mining company operating out of Linden runs a colonial-era guesthouse, and there are other hotels in the township, including the Summit and the Starbonnet hotels.

Historic Linden
On April 29, 1970, under the Municipal District Councils Act of 1969,  MacMarBurg, a diminutive for Mackenzie, Wismar and Christianburg, was renamed Linden, and officially declared a town.
Christianburg, the oldest settlement in the town, was originally known as Stabroek. It was renamed in honour of Governor Christian Finette, who joined his name with Burg, his wife’s family name. This area was chiefly used for rubber bleeding and sawmilling.
The area south of Christianburg was known as Shingles Landing, on account of the production of shingles and wallaba posts (a local hardwood). Before the discovery of hardwood, this area was an important transit point in gold and diamond mining.
In 1916, with the discovery of bauxite, all economic activity in the town was focused on Mackenzie, on the opposite side of the Demerara River.
Today, Linden is popularly known as a Mining Town. There are, scattered throughout this town, several historical sites that are representative of the diversity of Guyana’s heritage.

Historical highlights
The Christianburg Water Wheel was installed in 1855 to facilitate the operations of a sawmill, owned and operated by John Dalgleish Patterson.  This water wheel is a fine example of Guyana’s industrial heritage.
 St. Matthew’s Church was constructed by the Presbyterians, and was opened on November 25, 1898. Today, this church serves an important role in the social and cultural lives of Lindeners.
St. Aidian’s Church was constructed on July 19, 1969, through the efforts of the community. Situated on Burnham Drive, which runs parallel to the Demerara River, this oval-shaped church, with its transparent, egg-like dome set in an umbrella-type roof, stands out in sharp contrast to the houses and commercial structures in the area.
Watooka House, an elegant structure, with its timber shutters and jalousied windows, is a sterling example of Guyana’s renowned wooden architecture. Constructed in the late 19th Century, this was the location for many of the finest balls and social gatherings in Linden.
The Christianburg Magistrate’s Court, an edifice that was formerly the residence of John Dalgleish Patterson, was one of the largest houses constructed in British Guiana during the 1830s. Although this structure has been modified to accommodate the proceedings of the court, many of its architectural features, such as the brick columns, wooden jalousie windows and timber shutters, are still visible.
While enjoying the serene atmosphere of Watooka, take time out to visit places such as:
•    Three Friends, the first bauxite mine in Guyana
•    The Mackenzie Sports Club, the venue of all sporting and culture activities in Linden.  It was the home of the first Mashramani, the Kashif & Shanghai soccer tournaments, and many other activities.
•    See aluminum houses first built in Silver City and Retrieve.
•    Take a ride with the river taxi service that is the major means of shopping or visiting between the communities on both sides of the river.
•    Look for the now discarded 1300 walking dragline and 1310 bucket wheel excavator, both of which were used to remove over 200 ft. of sand and clay in order to expose our high-grade bauxite.
•    Take a trip further up the Demerara River by outboard motor launch.
•    Visit the 100-year-old Patterson Plantation and see the first hydro-powered water wheel in Guyana.
•    Go shopping at the riverside all-purpose marketplace.
•    Look at the blue water lakes that were created in the mined-out areas, and
•    The Mackenzie Museum

Genesis
The three villages that made up Linden were previously known as Wismar, Mackenzie and Christianburg, but they were unified as a township in 1970, and renamed Linden by then President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, also known as Forbes Burnham.
In 1964, Wismar was the site of the Wismar Massacre, where rioting targeted at the Indian minority also led to the widespread destruction of property. The disturbances started on Wednesday, May 20, and escalated to murder on May 25 before the arrival of British troops on Tuesday, May 26. During that period, more than 200 properties were destroyed by fire, and more than 50 people reported physical assault, including at least seven rapes.
The Wismar Massacre decimated the Indian population in Wismar, which, before the riots, stood at an estimated 3000. This fell to about 300 by the following July, as more than 3000 Indians were evacuated after the riots. The Wismar Massacre was triggered by the general climate of political and ethnic strife within Guyana in 1964.
On Monday, July 6, 1964, an explosion blew apart the Sun Chapman launch as it sailed up the Demerara River from Georgetown to Mackenzie. Forty-three people of mostly African descent died, either due to the explosion or by drowning when the launch sank. Most of the thirty-three survivors, including the entire crew, were those fortunate to be on the deck or bow when the boat exploded. The Sun Chapman exploded shortly after leaving Horadia, about sixteen miles from Mackenzie. By July 8, thirty-two bodies had been recovered from the river and taken to the Mackenzie Hospital morgue to be buried. Some badly decomposed bodies were also buried at Horadia.
With forty-three fatalities, the sinking of the Sun Chapman is the single largest loss of Guyanese life. Most victims were Lindeners travelling home from Georgetown along the Demerara River. The river was commonly used for this journey before the Linden-Soesdyke Highway was constructed in 1966. The explosion was caused by a bomb, but the persons responsible and the type of explosives used remain unknown. This has led to numerous theories about the bombing.

Linden today
Though Linden has further evolved in its mystique and beauty over the years, it is still plagued by many challenges, as indicated by residents in the town. Unemployment is a serious problem there, and this has a dampening effect not only on the development drive in Linden, but also on the economic stability and growth of the mining town.
Young people are always seen liming and loitering, since they have no jobs to go to and no avenues that can provide a steady earning.  Some have resorted to pork-knocking in the hinterland, while some have sought employment at the distant OMAI Gold Mines Limited and other mining entities situated at various locations in the interior.
Some lucky persons are employed at the Call Centre or the Mackenzie Hospital, while others are boat owners plying the Wismar/Linden route to earn a living.
What was discovered from interviews is that a large percentage of the town’s population actually thrives on financial assistance from relatives overseas.
Some Lindeners complained that there is a dire need for more entertainment opportunities, and more recreational facilities to preoccupy the youths positively. Now that the customary Kashif and Shanghai football tournament is not being hosted in the mining town, persons lament that a huge void exists in entertainment, since that was indeed a mega-event to which Lindeners looked forward.
Lindeneres are calling for the construction of at least one KFC outlet, so that they can have variety, since a Church’s Chicken outlet has already been established in Wismar.
Bauxite mining, while not as established as in earlier years, still continues under the leadership of Chinese business personnel. It still offers room for employment, but not like it did several years ago.
Lindeners eagerly look forward to their annual Town Week celebrations, and also the Annual Fish Festival hosted at Rockstone, which attracts thousands from all across Guyana. A few small nightspots would normally host Karaoke on weekends, but all of the wild revelling would be done at the Library 3, and L & L night clubs.
 Talented musician, Jermaine Mc Bean and GT&T Jingle and Song Competition Champion, Brandon Harding are special highlights in these clubs on many weekends, as they perform in the live band, ‘Reflections’, actually owned by Mc Bean.

Of vital importance
Linden is indeed a beautiful township, but there are indeed areas that are in dire need of a little sprucing up, so to speak. And to ensure its beauty remains splendid, authorities have recently begun drainage and irrigation exercises in several areas of Wismar, as well as extensive community clean-up campaigns.
Work is also being done on the taxi parks, and around the Linden Municipal Market, which normally floods during heavy rainfall.
At the moment, most persons selling in the municipal market are moving to the road parapets to sell, and this, of course, would not go down too well with the NDC body in Linden. Some vendors revealed that the minibus and car parks are located in Wismar, and that naturally attracts all the population there for means of transport. As such, they would seldom frequent the market area, but would obtain their groceries and supplies elsewhere, since it’s difficult to move their goods after purchasing same at the market.

Residents request
Residents of Linden are requesting that the Government ensures that more television stations are erected in the town. They say they can presently access only three.
Added to that, residents lament the fact that even though the bridge that joins Wismar and Mackenzie brings in large surpluses via toll, it is left in a ‘rundown state’. This bridge also affords transport to and from Georgetown, as well as allows access to several interior business locations.
Some lamented the fact that, for several months now, the sign for the Youth Neighbourhood Tourism River Front Park has been erected and nothing was done after to bring to reality the ‘leisure time facility’ promised to be established there.
Examining the area, it was noted that sand was dumped on the location for ages, and was just left there to face the elements of weather. Grass has already taken over the loads of sands dumped on the land.
Some residents are gravely concerned that the Amerindian Hostel in Linden ‘is not functioning properly’, and so Amerindians seeking employment or requiring a place to stay as they conduct business now have to fend for themselves when they arrive from their interior locations. Residents are calling for the facility to be up and running, and function as in years gone by.
The ST. Joseph Co-operative Credit Union is now dysfunctional, and has been turned into a photocopying centre. Lindeners want it to become functional again, since it was a very progressive forum for them to save and have credit packages.
Residents of Linden are no longer forced to travel to Georgetown to conduct monetary business, since the Republic Bank (Guyana) Ltd is located at Republic Avenue, approximately five minutes’ drive from the Watooka Guest House.  Banking hours are: Monday to Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m; Friday from 8:00am to 2:30pm.  ATM service available 24 hours.
There is also the recently opened (November 2011) Citizen’s Bank located on Republic Avenue.

Bauxite Mining tales
The bauxite mines had all manner of nifty names, such as Three Friends, Montgomery, Arrowcane, Akyma, Maria Elizabeth, Ituni, Noitgedacht and Warabaru, among so many others.
There were three methods used to remove the overburden to get at the bauxite ore, and these are dragline, wheel excavator and water blasting.