Who built the ancient walls in the Seekoei River Valley?
Archaeologist Garth Sampson started working on a large-scale, long-term project in the 1970s. Over the years, this project developed into the largest surveyed archaeological site in Africa and the best known research project in the Karoo, states the summer 2011 issue of Karoo News, the Nama Karoo Foundation newsletter. The inspiration for this Zeekoei Valley…
Read MoreThe ways of the Bushmen
A bow and arrow are the principal weapons of the Bushman, writes Lieutenant Arnold W Hudson in Trekking the Great Thirstland. “The tip is always poisoned. I have not been able to find out what the poison consists of, but I believe it comes from a root, caterpillar or grub. I do know, however, that…
Read MoreRev Colin Fraser’s rural ministry
Colin Fraser, a Scot, came to serve the Dutch Reformed congregation in Beaufort West as a minister in 1825. He had some incredible experiences in the Karoo and many of these are written up in a biography, Episodes in my Life, written by his son John. When he arrived in Beaufort West, no real house,…
Read MoreTo the top of Compassberg
In 1840, an Indian Army Officer left his mark at the top of Compassberg, a mountain on the outskirts of Nieu-Bethesda. Major Walter Stanhope Sherwill was on long leave from Bengal and decided to visit South Africa. He initially sailed to Cape Town, where he explored for a while and then continued on to Port…
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