“Sandakan” is derived from the Suluk word “sanda” meaning, to pawn and “kan” being the suffix. So “Sandakan” means the place that was pawned. Who pawned it, and to whom, remains a mystery. |
As the story goes, in the early 1870s, William Clarke Cowie, a Scottish adventurer and engineer, delivered guns and ammunitions to the Sultan of Sulu, then protecting his territory from Spanish conquerors. In return, Cowie was granted permission by the Sultan to set up base on Pulau Timbang, in Sandakan Bay, where a small Suluk village existed. Cowie called his base “Sandakan” but it soon became known as “Kampong German” due to the number of German traders who visited Cowie. The settlement was re-located to Buli Sim Sim in 1879, It was an uninhabited jungle and mangrove area but with one of the most beautiful natural harbours in the world. He named the new settlement, ‘Elopura” meaning ‘The Beautiful City” but the name reverted to “Sandakan”. |
In 1883, the British North Borneo Chartered Company moved its capital from Kudat to Sandakan. A “building mania” started and Sandakan became a bustling modern town though bombings to liberate it towards the end of World War 2 nearly flattened the town. In retaliation, the Japanese burnt whatever remained and Sandakan as a town, ceased to exist in June 1945. In 1946, the capital was moved to Jesselton (subsequently, renamed Kota Kinabalu). Sandakan was first and foremost a port for the export of logs and timber. In fact, it was said that Sandakan timber went into the building of Peking’s Temple of Heaven. In its heyday, Sandakan used to boast of having the greatest concentration of millionaires in the world! Today, it is known more as the gateway to nature’s most prolific treasures in Borneo. Sandakan’s prosperity led to an influx of people. Chinese, Europeans, Malays, Dayaks, Dusuns, Sikhs, Pathans. Arabs, Filipinos, Suluks, Javanese and even Japanese. One of the earliest Chinese immigrants was Kwan Woon Kwong, a general merchant, who established the oldest company of Sandakan, the Man Woo Loong Company in 1882. |
