Barkly West brief history and information

Formerly known as Klipdirft, a convenient crossing over the Vaal River, this region fell under the control of the London Mission Society establishment, Litkatlon, which was situated on the west bank of the Harts River. The Rev. W Ross, who came out to Africa with David Livingstone in 1840, was stationed here.

Following the discovery of diamonds on the farm De Kalk in the Hopetown district in 1866, the first digging activity took place at Klipdrift in 1869; the site of the diggings was Canteen Kopje, now a national monument. With the discovery of diamonds the Transvaal Republic laid claim to the region and President Pretorius with a commando came to exert their claim. The diggers objected and proclaimed their Klipdrift Republic, with Stafford Parker as President. This was, however, short-lived, because a British magistrate was soon stationed there and the town was named Barkly West.

The parents of Matabele Thompson lived at Barkly West and Cecil Rhodes became a member of the Barkly West constituency in the Cape Parliament. The authoress, Sarah Gertrude Millin, grew up in the Barkly West district.

The Klipdrift diamond diggings soon spread across the Vaal River to Pniel and then for a distance of 50 miles in either direction on both banks of the river. With the discovery of diamonds in Kimberley there was a rush from Pniel to the early dig gin g sin 1871.