The hallmark of the half century prior to the arrival of the British Settlers in 1820 was the steady encroachment of the Dutch farmers commonly from the west. In spite of every effort on the part of the Cape Governors to prevent the Trekboers from spreading eastwards, this ineluctable movement did not abate.
This blog covers the settling of this peripatetic people in the Zwartkops Valley and especially around the Zwartkops wagendrift which was the principal crossing point on the road east or north.
Main picture: Trekboers crossing the Karoo by Charles Davidson Bell
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