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European
prospectors found the first alluvial gold deposits at
Eersteling (Limpopo Province) between 1840 and 1870, but the
first major gold rush in South Africa, however, started on 5
February 1873 at MacMac, a mere 5 km from Pilgrims Rest as the
crow flies.
The
big strike however, was when Alec "Wheelbarrow"
Patterson discovered gold in the Pilgrim's Creek in 1873.
He
could not keep his find secret and soon another prospector,
William Trafford, found gold in the Pilgrim's Creek. Legend
has it that he shouted with joy "Now at last, a pilgrim
is at rest!"
He
registered his claim at the gold commissioner's office,
MacMac, resulting in a major gold rush on 22 September 1873,
when Pilgrim's Rest was officially proclaimed a gold field.
Not
even a year later, 1500 diggers worked 4000 claims around the
streams of Pilgrim's Creek.
By
1876 most of the tents were replaced by permanent structures,
and many made their "gold" from the various
businesses supplying the diggers with necessary provisions.
Gold
was also discovered in the De Kaap Valley in January 1874 and
some diggers moved from Pilgrim's Rest to this area to try
their luck.
Small
deposits were found at Kaapsehoop and Berlin but it was only
with the discovery of alluvial and reef gold by August Robert,
alias French Bob in 1882, that the Barberton Goldfields were
established.
Gold
was mined and melted in ancient times in Southern Africa to a
limited extent. Artifacts made of gold were excavated from
sites such as Mapungubwe (now a world heritage site in the
Limpopo Province), Klipwal (near Piet Retief) and Thulamala in
the northern part of the Kruger National Park.
Gold
was smelted by means of a furnace, which was probably similar
to the iron and copper smelting furnaces excavated elsewhere
in southern Africa, and was utilised for personal adornment as
well as a means of barter for glass beads from Egypt, ceramics
from China and cloth from Phoenicia.
By
1898 the gold production of the Witwatersrand exceeded that of
the entire United States of America. Gold is still to this
day, the basis of the South African economy.
George
Harrison discovered by chance, the Great Rand Reef
(Johannesburg) in 1886.
The
first diggers moved in, and by September of that year, 3000
prospectors were working the area. In 1893, Peter Marais
discovered more gold deposits on the Witwatersrand.
The
geologists Harry and Fred Struben were convinced of rich
deposits, and erected a five-stamp battery on top of the area
which became the largest gold-bearing reef in the world! |
