Founded in 1857 by Naval Captain
Protet, Commander-in-chief in Goree, Dakar
was the only real city in French Black Africa
until 1939.
Yet a Lebou village had been situated there
for a long time.
The Island of Goree became too exiguous on
account of the commercial development, so,
a merchant, Jaubert, who exported groundnuts
set up his firm on the Cap Vert Peninsula
around 1846 (not far from the present Independence
Square, formerly named Protet Square) .
In 1846 a Catholic mission was established
where the present City Hall stands .
After the army, previously stationed in
Gorée was transferred to Dakar, the
city experienced a slow development in spite
of the efforts of Major Pinet-Laprade (later
promoted to the rank of Colonel in the Engineers
Branch ) who laid out the outline drawings
of a city in 1862, with right angled streets
on either side of the present Independence
Square.
In 1866, Brazil-line ships benefited by
the installations and facilities of the
harbour for the first time.
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