James Earl was a native of
Cambridgeshire. arrived in
Cooktown, travelling on foot or on horseback to
Palmer. This influx of people provided business opportunities for the Earl family. The brothers started their lucrative cartage business which included routes beteeen
Cooktown and
Palmer as well as other areas in the Cook district. One of the resting stops on the road was Butcher's Hill and there is now a roadhouse and tourist/passerby stop in
Lakeland previously known as
Butcher's Hill station. Earl took up the station in 1874 without his brothers by dissolving the partnership while relocating his share of the
Yacamunda Station stock to the new station. This was lucrative because of the influx of population to the
Palmer area because of the recently discovered
Palmer goldfields. Earl diversified into selling meat to the public via butcheries locally in the goldfields area (supplying
Lakeland and
Palmer River) and
Cooktown. “Red Water Fever” decimated cattle supplies. Earl diversified into horses. Earl later retired and moved to Townsville where he died in the hospital there after a lengthy illness. == See also ==