The Gajo Road

At the initiative of G.C.E. (Frits) van Daalen (1863-1930), then governor of Aceh, construction of the Gajo Road began in 1903. This initiative stemmed from Van Daalen's assignment to prepare for the permanent establishment of Dutch authority in Aceh. Construction of the Gajo Road indirectly contributed to achieving the "passification of the Acehnese Highlands" (Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad, 31 july 1914).

The Gajo Road, built between 1903 and 1914, runs from Bireuën on the north coast to Takengon inland at the Danau Lauttawar mountain lake, and is approximately 105 kilometers long. The Peusangon River rises at Takengon and eventually flows into the sea. The road's highest point is 1,485 meters. This road is also known as "the road of a thousand bends (in reality, there are only 880)” (De aarde en haar volken, volume 69, no. 2, 1933, p. 35).

Construction of this Gajo Road was hazardous. Not only because of the landscape, such as mountains with deep gorges and ravines, and large stretches of virtually impenetrable jungle vegetation teeming with wild animals like elephants and tigers, but also because of the treacherous terrain. The people of Aceh continued to resist the Dutch. There were frequent "klewang attacks," and colonial accounts show that this section was particularly turbulent between 1906 and 1910.

Because the road crossed mountains and rivers, numerous bridges were built. Captain-Warehouse Master of the Royal Engineers J.C. Heinzenknecht (1856-1914) was the project manager for this road. Military posts and bivouacs were established along the road. These were where the coolies working on the road stayed, as well as the military police who guarded these areas. The military police brigades also provided daytime security for the roadworks. Heinzenknecht was assassinated in 1914 and was succeeded by public works official Engelenkamp (Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad, 31 july 1914. See also a Dutch article “Een gevallen kapitein, Bireuën, 1914” on kolonialemonumenten.nl , October 2020).

By order of Van Dalen's successor since June 1908, Governor Henri N.A. Swart (1863-1946), the Gajoweg was completed and the road was paved in stages to make it suitable for heavier traffic such as cars. Several temporary bridges were replaced by permanent structures, as reported in the Journal of the Geographical Society in 1917 (Tijdschrift van het Aardrijkskundig Genootschap, 1917, p. 165). In Aceh in 1918, "154 cars, several trucks, and 10 motorcycles were already in use, while the number of bicycles numbered many thousands” (Langhout, J., Economische Staatkunde in Atjeh, The Hague 1923).

Below are photos from Mr. Jakob Slooten's archive. The photos show several locations along the Gajo Road where, as a military police officer, he and his brigade ensured the safety of people working on the road. Below that are some photos of his family and his later bivouac at Geumpang.

Jakob Slooten with his brigade of military police in Aceh.

Wilhelmina Slooten-Van der Laag and Jakob Slooten. On the back of the photo is: Leuhong (1913, our first bivouac).

Map of North Aceh, clipped from a newspaper.

Group photo with the inscription on the saw: road construction May 29, 1914.

Group photo with the inscription on the saw: road construction May 29, 1914.

The construction of a bridge.

Kroeng Leumpoh Bivouac, at the beginning of the Gajo Road.

Blang Rakal Bivouac.

Bends in the road with bridge to be constructed.

Construction of the road through the jungle.

Lampahan Bivouac.

Takengon Bivouac, the end point of the Gajo Road.

Nelly Slooten (age 2) with Amat and djongos (captain's servant) in front of the Slooten family home, Lam Meulo, May 13, 1916.

From left to right: Wilhelmina Slooten-Van der Laag, Nelly Slooten, Jakob Slooten in front of their home in Lam Meulo, May 13, 1916 (Nelly's birthday).

'Emma (our cook)' is written on the back of the photo. Date unknown.

Geumpang Bivouac, Aceh.

Nelly Slooten at her new home: Geumpang Bivouac, July 20, 1917.

Nico, Wilhelmina, and Nelly Slooten. On the back of the photo is written: Geumpang, photographed by engineer Lindberg.

Nelly with a doll, Jakob with Nico on his lap. On the back of the photo it says: Geumpang, photographed by engineer Lindberg.

Wilhelmina Slooten-Van der Laag, 1916. The back of the photo reads: after Nico's birth in Koeta Radja.

Wilhelmina Slooten-Van der Laag and Jakob Slooten in front of their house in Aceh. Date unknown.

Jakob Slooten before his departure from the Netherlands to Indonesia, probably January 1899.

Wilhelmina van der Laag by photographer K. Schatsman from Edam. A photo with a humorous touch: on the back of the page are written "Au revoir" and "August 31, 1908."

Wilhelmina Slooten-Van der Laag in her wedding dress, June 12, 1912.

School photo with Mr. Demmer on the left and Wilhelmina van der Laag (teacher in Edam) on the right. Date unknown.