GovernanceEast India Company rule
John Sullivan explores the Nilgiris
· Ooty
Coimbatore Collector John Sullivan set out to explore the Nilgiri hills, leading to the founding of Ootacamund.
John Sullivan, Collector of Coimbatore district, set out on 2 January 1819 with a detachment to investigate reports about the Nilgiri hills. He reported on the temperate climate and began urging the Madras government to develop the area as a resort for invalid soldiers. In 1822 he began building his residence, the Stone House, at Ootacamund on land purchased from the Todas, and he created Ooty Lake between 1823 and 1825. He introduced potatoes and European vegetables to the region and held that the Toda people had proprietary rights over the hills. By 1827 Ootacamund was established as a sanatorium of the Madras Presidency.
