Millwood, South Africa: Difference between revisions

| image_caption = The town around 1880.

In 1876 a certain James Hooper discovered what he thought was gold-bearing gravel in a small creek off the Karatara River on the farm 'Ruigtevlei' near [[Rheenendal]], and his suspicions were confirmed by the town chemist, William Groom. The creek was later named 'Jubilee Creek' to commemorate [[Queen Victoria]]'s Jubilee. Charles Osborne, an engineer working on the road from George to Knysna, was granted £100 by the Cape Government to prospect for gold in the area. He started at a sawmill run by the [[Charles Wilhelm Thesen|Thesen]] family, whence the name of 'Woodmill', but was unsuccessful. He was transferred to [[Port Nolloth]] and returned to the Woodmill area later. In the meantime various people such as Thomas Kitto and E. J. Dunn, the Cape Government Geologist, discovered alluvial gold in the area and reported favourably on mining prospects in 1880. In 1886 the area was declared open as “"public diggings”", John Barrington (son of [[Henry Barrington]]) being appointed as its first Gold Commissioner. Osborne returned and prospected in the catchment area of the Homtini River, finding a promising reef in 1886. With [[Thomas Charles John Bain|Thomas Bain]], the famed pass-builder, he compiled an unfavourable report and tried to discourage any “gold rush”. Even so, some two thousand reef and alluvial claims were pegged in what became known as the 'Millwood Gold Fields'.