THE EARLY YEARS

The earliest inhabitants of this area were the hunter gatherers. These tiny yellow-brown lords of the plains, lived a primitive existence following the game from one source of food and water to the next. Their legacy to those who followed was a rich heritage of rock engravings. Then came the trekboer, the settlers and the migrant cattle farmers. Times were no longer peaceful. There were Xhosa tribesmen, who continuously clashed with the farmers over water and grazing for their huge cattle herd. These herdsmen had moved into the Karoo after a war between two princes in the Eastern Cape.

The most constant clashes happened over water and grazing. Water is scarce in this harsh dry land. It is a precious commodity badly needed by both man and beast. Obviously those who controlled the fountains controlled the land.

As the settlers moved into the area, so the game moved ever northwards and the /Xam (Bushmen), run--away slaves and even predators who had hunted the huge herds for food turned to the farmers's stock as an alternative source of food. Other law breakers, gun runners and liquor smugglers also regularly plundered stock from these fledgling farms.

Adventurers, explorers and big game hunters regularly passed. They were rough and ready lot, and so were the ivory traders who fiercely guarded their heavily loaded wagons bound for the coast.

BANISHED!

Outlaws were among the first inhabitants of this area. Men were banished here after the Slagtersnek Rebellion as the Government considered the Karoo sufficiently isolated to stop them causing further trouble. They established themselves in the harsh arid world of the Nuweveld mountains. Smuggling was rife. Arms, ammunition and liquor, in particular, fetched top prices and were in continuous demand. The missionaries came and tried preaching against the evils of the demon drink but the hard dry land mostly defeated their efforts.

Then, in 1818, at the request of Lord Charles Somerset, then Governor of the Cape Colony, a town was established on the prize fam, Hooyvlakte. The objective was to establish and maintain law and order and bring religion and responsible government to this far flung spot.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Today Beaufort West is a typical South African "platteland" or country town with a rich history. It lies in a sheltered spot, between two normally dry rivers, at the foot of the Nuweveld Mountains, so named because of the new grazing they offered.

The farmers who first settled in this arid zone were tough, able to contend with predators and regular raids on their stock. But they were also hospitable people who offered food and shelter to passing hunters, adventurers, explorers, missionaries and pedlars who brought welcome news from neighbours and the faraway Cape. Among the first farmers was a father and son, of Huguenot extraction and both widowed, who came to the area in 1760.

Abraham and Jacob Le Clercq (later called De Klerk) were granted a farm which they named Hooyvlakte, because tall, waving grass on the plains reminded them of wheat fields. They built a house, remarried and travelled frequently to the Cape to sell their produce. Soon they had cleared the area of predators and developed one of the prize farms of the hinterland. It caught the eye of magistrates sent to find a viable spot for a town.

PLANS FOR A TOWN

Local farmers were delighted. A magistrate and church would ease their lot. For too long they had had to read their Bibles in isolation and travel for days to marry or have their children baptised. A town represented authority, education, religious instruction and social intercourse.

Yet, among them were men who did not welcome the approach of civilisation. One was Jacob de Klerk. He moved northwards across the Vaal River and, in time, helped establish Klerksdorp. Hooyvlakte had water and an adequate number of buildings. A town with huge erven was laid out. Irrigation furrows were laid so that water from a permanent fountains, could be channelled to fruit and vegetable gardens. Today, irrigation furrows, which date right back to those early days, still line the streets of the old town area. Pear trees, many of which still survive, were planted for shade.

NAMED FOR A DUKE

The town was called Beaufort in honour of Lord Charles Somerset's father, he fifth Duke of Beaufort and a man who could trace his lineage back to the Plantagenets.

A church was built. Initially it was a humble thatch-roofed place of worship, but later the present superb Neo-Gothic edifice, which has pride of lace in the main street, was erected. Its spire can be seen for miles around. This was all in keeping with Lord Charles Somerset's ideas. The British liked towns to have churches and official buildings at their core.

The town still has some good examples of early Karoo architecture among its historic homes . Most of which can be seen on a walk through the historic central core. Beaufort West became the first municipality in South Africa in February, 1837, and, of course, had the first town hall in the country. Today this form part of the museum and houses a magnificent display of awards presented to surgeon Professor Chris Barnard who performed the world's first heart transplant almost 30 years ago. His father, the Reverend Adam Barnard, preached in the little church, next to the town hall and the family lived in the adjacent house. Both these buildings now form part of the museum and all three are national monuments.

INTERESTING ARCHITECTURE

In addition to these interesting old buildings there is a superb example of dressed stone architecture, or "snecked" masonry, next to the library, this once was a school. Today it is municipal offices. Then, there is the beautiful Neo-Gothic Dutch Reformed "mother" church and also in the main street a lovely stone Christchurch Anglican church designed by Sophie Grey, wife of the first Bishop of Cape Town, the Reverend Robert Grey. She designed virtually all the churches on the platteland.

The jail, which stands in the middle of the main road and the N1 is a landmark on the north/south route. And, at one stage, there was a gallows nearby. One of the first wardens was incarcerated in his own jail after a jailbreak. However, security must have been suspect, because he too managed to escape and has never been seen again.

The old Anglo-Boer Way blockhouse, which still guards the red railway bridge at the edge of town, has recently been restored by the Central Karoo District Council. Built of local Karoo stone, it is a silent reminder of "The last of the Gentlemen's Wars." Boer and British soldiers are buried in the town cemeteries. There is also a monument in the mountains to those killed when a donkey convoy en-route to Fraserburg was ambushed by the Boers.

The stone wall, around the town cemetery is the result of a community effort and it too has been declared a national monument.

POPULAR STOP

The Beaufort West area is a popular eco-tourism stop, particularly in spring, autumn and winter. Many tourists come to holiday on one of the farms, to walk or hike in the mountains, to try out the challenging 4 x 4 routes or to hunt. Conservation in the area in dependant on hunting. It also brings several international visitors in to the region.

FOR THE ECO-EXPLORERS

Those who have time to explore can visit some game farms or the 60 000 Karoo National Park, only 5km south of the town. Home to a huge variety of indigenous buck and birds it is also a sanctuary for the highly endangered black rhino and riverine rabbit. The Park has camping and caravan facilities, as well as a series of short walks and longer hikes. There is a challenging 4 x 4 route into the mountains as well.

Beaufort West as a base to explore and enjoy the magic that is the great Karoo.