The Arusha Hotel's family legend confusion 'Blooms' out again
"Were there two Arusha Hotels in the early Nineties?"
The legend behind The Arusha Hotel still goes on, but so is the confusion. This week, the great grand daughter of the person believed to have been the hotel's original owner, appeared in Arusha after traveling all the way from Canada to re-discover the former dwelling place for her earliest family members, tracing the family tree in the process.
Dana Bloom aged 26, is a Toronto-based, practicing lawyer, whose great grand father, Goodall Bloom together with his wife, Mrs Jane Bloom, then hailing from Manchester, England, is said to have owned and operated The Arusha Hotel since it was established in 1894, then standing as a twelve roomed, mud-walled, hut-like Inn, then known as the 'Bloom's Hotel.'
During those days, both Mr and Mrs Bloom used to live at the hotel premises, receiving and catering for their guests just like the old, road-side Inns, that have been immortalized in Charles Dickens' novels, for ages.
The couple's first born, named Jack Bloom, died in 1909 aged only 2 years old and was buried within the hotel grounds. This grave was among the landmarks that Dana managed to discover during her recent visit to The Arusha Hotel, early this week. Her story goes:
" In 1937 my grandfather, Algy Bloom traveled from England to come and visit his uncle, Mr Goodall Bloom who was running a hotel in Arusha town of Tanganyika." Apparently, Dana's grandmother, who was also on the trip, had collected a number of old letters and photographs that were taken in Arusha in the early days and kept them in her chest.
In addition to the hotel, the Blooms, were also said to have bought Selian coffee estate in the 50s. The couple had two sons; Judah and Poli. The former, Captain Judah Bloom was to run the estate until his death in 1957.
These souvenirs were only to be discovered at the turn of the new Millennium, about six years ago when the grandmother, Doris Bloom died. Dana's father, Brian Bloom who had by then already retired in Toronto Canada, flew back to England and collected all his mother's belongings, taking them to Canada.
"So I was going through my late grandmother's things and suddenly I came across those old pictures, some handwritten, mailed letters and I discovered The Arusha Hotel's family legend in which I happen to be part of," said Dana. "After the findings, I went to the Internet and searched for more information and here I am!"
With a compass being its trademark, The Arusha Hotel shouldn't be a difficult place to find, especially being located at the 'center point' between Cape Town and Cairo, but did Dana and her husband, Robert Klein (29) discover the right hotel?
Was there another 'Arusha Hotel?'
Raymond and Marjorie Ulyate, whose families were part of the original settlers that landed in South Africa in 1820 are on the other hand, said to be the original owners of The Arusha Hotel. Marjorie Borissow, who lives in Australia, is yet another grand daughter of this other 'former owner' and she also has her own story to tell as well:
"My grandfather and his family then went on and became some of the first pioneers around Kijabe in Kenya. Grandpa started taking people out on safari in the early 1900's. He worked for Newlands & Tarlton He even gets a mention in Theodore Roosevelt's Book "frican Game Trails" That was on the safari in 1910 ."
Grandpa bought Meru Estate near Lake Duluti after the first world war. When enemy property farms were being sold (German). They had that until one Mr K V Painter who was an American persuaded him to sell the farm and take over the 'New Arusha Hotel!"
According to Marjorie, the original 'Arusha Hotel' was built opposite the "old man Blooms Arusha hotel!" Now her statement indicates that, there should have been two hotels that were located on the same grounds. The Blooms Hotel dates back to 1894. What about the Ray Ulyate's hotel?
"Reading from some of my Mum's notes." Says Marjorie. "She remembers that they had The Prince of Wales (first name in the visitors book) attended the opening ball in 1928. So I guess it was around this time when the hotel opened!"
