Category Archives: History

Two More Interesting Pilgrim’s Pioneers Whispering from the Past…

Posted on December 6, 2013 by tourism marketer

PILGRIM’S Rest is full of interesting people and places. Two of the best-known characters in the village were Claude Cogill and Michael Owen. The manager of the Graskop branch, Mac McDonald, took Barclay’s News reporters to meet them at “The … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, History | 3 Comments

Alex Patterson, The Wheelbarrow Man

Posted on September 16, 2013 by tourism marketer

Man’s greed for wealth, celebrity, and success has always been insatiable, and it is incredible to what ends he will strive, suffer or reach for, to fulfill or satisfy his passions. The Gold Strike in the Pilgrims’s Rest area, during … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, History | 6 Comments

The Robber’s Grave in Pilgrim’s Rest

Posted on September 3, 2013 by tourism marketer

It does well to keep up to date with the latest versions of historical accounts of the area one lives in, especially when truth turns out to be stranger than fiction. If one visits the cemetery in Pilgrims’ Rest one … Continue reading →

Posted in History | 4 Comments

“Ford-lore” on Pilgrim’s Hill

Posted on September 2, 2013 by tourism marketer

The first automobiles began to appear in the Pilgrim’s Rest district in about 1910. This form of conveyance was already fairly common in other parts of the Transvaal, but there the roads were on the level. The two problems that … Continue reading →

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A Slice of Welsh Rarebit

Posted on August 30, 2013 by tourism marketer

The Transvaal Gold Mining Estates T.G.M.E. of Pilgrim’s Rest happened to employ numerous Welshman in their mines, by virtue of the fact that they were experienced miners, seeking a better life by emigrating from Wales during the dreadful conditions of … Continue reading →

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Basic Solutions to Basic Problems

Posted on August 29, 2013 by tourism marketer

Just before the first world war, Generals Beyers, de la Rey, Maritz and others had gone into rebellion, and General Louis Botha the Prime Minister of the Union had declared Martial Law. A young constable of the South African Police, … Continue reading →

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