James Brooke began his rule of Sarawak (present day Kuching) in 1841 after he obtained the territory from the Bruneian Empire. In 1853, Sarawak has expanded its territory to include the Sibu region. Sibu was a small village with several shop-houses. Such shophouses were built with atap roofs with wooden walls and floors. The earliest inhabitants of Sibu were the Melanau people, followed by the Iban and Malay people in the 1850s. Sibu Fort (Fort Brooke), which was built by Rajah Brooke in 1862, was located at the present day Channel Road in Sibu. It served as an administrative centre for the Brooke government in Sibu. However, it was demolished in 1936. It was common for the White Rajah to build such forts to stake his territorial claim as well as means of protection.