HISTORY
Among the oldest and best preserved towns in Pahang, Raub’s name comes from its association with gold mining According to J.A.
Richardson in his book, The Geology and Mineral Resources of the Neighbourhood of Raub Pahang, “People found that for every “dulang” of sand there was a handful (raub) of gold”.
Old folks’ tale recounts that in the early 19th century, an old man and his two sons discovered gold when they scooped up the earth in Raub. Incidentally the Malay word raub means “scoop”.
Explored and founded in the 18th century, it became famous in the early 20th century when large scale mining operations were undertaken by Raub Australian Gold Mine (RAGM), a company registered in 1889 in Queensland, Australia.
Initially known as Australian Syndicate Ltd and later as Australian Gold Mining Co. Ltd in 1892. RAGM operated until 1961. The mining method used in Raub then was shaft mining and started at the Raub Hole.
This activity has become a valuable heritage for the town and district. The main road in Raub was initially named after RAGM’s first manager, William Bibby while Mason Road was named after the first district officer J S Mason.
The town itself was once dubbed “Malaya’s capital of gold”.
