How Two Diamonds Created Kimberley
Introduction
The discoveries of the Eureka Diamond in 1867 and the Star of South Africa in 1869 convinced the world that southern Africa held extraordinary diamond wealth.
What followed was one of the greatest mineral rushes in history. Within only a few years, thousands of prospectors arrived from across southern Africa, Britain, Europe, Australia and America in search of unimaginable riches.
The rush began beside the Orange River, spread to the Vaal River, and finally reached the dry plains where the world's richest diamond mines would be discovered. Those discoveries gave birth to the city of Kimberley.
Quick Facts
The First Rush – The Orange River
Following the discovery of the Star of South Africa, prospectors flocked to the Orange River near Hopetown in search of diamonds washed down from ancient volcanic sources.
These early alluvial diggings produced many diamonds, but the deposits were scattered and difficult to work. Nevertheless, they convinced thousands that diamonds could be found across the region. The Orange River rush marked the beginning of South Africa's diamond industry.
The Second Rush – The Vaal River
In 1870 an even richer discovery was made along the gravel banks of the Vaal River at Klip Drift, now Barkly West. Just outside present-day Barkly West lies Canteen Kopje, one of South Africa's most remarkable archaeological and historical sites.
It was here, at the Klip Drift diggings, that the first major alluvial diamond rush took place, attracting thousands of prospectors to the Vaal River and setting the stage for the later discoveries around Kimberley. Today, Barkly West remains one of South Africa's most important alluvial diamond fields and preserves many reminders of those pioneering years.
Long before diamonds were discovered, however, Canteen Kopje had already witnessed more than a million years of human history. Archaeologists have uncovered an extraordinary concentration of Early Stone Age hand axes and stone tools, together with evidence of Middle Stone Age, Later Stone Age and Iron Age occupation. The site preserves one of the longest continuous archaeological records in southern Africa, providing invaluable insight into the lives of our earliest ancestors.
Mining at Canteen Kopje continued for many decades before its exceptional archaeological significance was recognised. In 1948, part of the site was declared a protected heritage reserve, and today visitors can explore the open-air museum and walking trail while learning how ancient human history and the South African diamond industry unexpectedly intersect at this unique location.
A Discovery Hidden in a Farmhouse
While prospectors searched the rivers, an extraordinary discovery was made several kilometres away. Diamonds were found embedded in the mud walls of the farmhouse on the farm Bultfontein, owned by Cornelius du Plooy.
The walls were dismantled in search of more diamonds, revealing that the real source of the diamonds was not the rivers at all, but the ground beneath the surrounding plains. The rush was about to move once again. Today the site is occupied by the vast Bultfontein Mine.
Du Toit's Pan
In December 1870, children playing near Du Toit's Pan discovered diamonds on their family's farm, Dorstfontein. Within days, another stampede of diggers descended on the area.
The mine took its name from Abraham Paulus du Toit, one of the farm's early owners, whose small house stood beside the shallow pan that still gives the mine its name today. Du Toit's Pan became one of Kimberley's great diamond mines.
De Beers Mine
The next major discovery came in May 1871 on the farm Vooruitzicht, owned by the De Beer brothers. This became known as the De Beers Mine. Although later overshadowed by neighbouring discoveries, it gave its name to the company that would eventually dominate the world's diamond industry.
Unlike the Big Hole, the original De Beers Mine is no longer visible today. During the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, mining companies reprocessed the enormous mine dumps using improved recovery techniques to extract diamonds that had eluded early miners. The recovered material was returned to the mine, while new tailings from the retreatment process gradually filled the excavation. Today, the former mine lies hidden beneath these large tailings dumps, which now rise above the surrounding landscape.
New Rush – The Birth of the Big Hole
Only two months later, in July 1871, three diamonds were discovered on nearby Colesberg Kopje, only a short distance from the De Beers Mine. News spread rapidly. Thousands of diggers rushed to the site, creating a sprawling mining camp that became known simply as New Rush.
As thousands of individual claims were worked by hand, the small hill gradually disappeared beneath an enormous excavation. That excavation became the Kimberley Mine, today known throughout the world as The Big Hole.
Life on the Diamond Fields
One contemporary digger described the scene:
"The four great mines were roughly circular in shape... each mining camp was composed of a central group of workings surrounded by a ring of shacks, shanties, huts and shelters constructed of any material that would keep off the rain or the scorching heat of the sun."
The camps were crowded, noisy and chaotic. Prospectors, merchants, publicans, engineers and fortune seekers from around the world lived side by side in one of the fastest-growing settlements on Earth.
From New Rush to Kimberley
As the settlement expanded, New Rush gradually absorbed the neighbouring camp of Old De Beers.
In 1873 the British Colonial Office insisted that the growing town receive a more suitable name.
On 5 July 1873, New Rush officially became Kimberley, named after Lord Kimberley, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies. A local newspaper summed up public feeling with the memorable words: "We went to sleep in New Rush and woke up in Kimberley."
The Rise of Beaconsfield
Meanwhile, the settlements around Du Toit's Pan and Bultfontein expanded into a separate town.
This settlement was later named Beaconsfield after the British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield.
In 1882 the two towns were linked by a tramway and illuminated by some of the earliest electric street lights in the Southern Hemisphere.
They would remain separate municipalities until 1912, when they were united to form the modern City of Kimberley.
Wesselton – The Fifth Great Mine
The last of Kimberley's famous diamond mines opened in 1890 when mining commenced at Wesselton Mine, close to Bultfontein and Du Toit's Pan. Although discovered later than the other four great mines, Wesselton became an important contributor to Kimberley's diamond production and completed the remarkable group of mines that transformed the city into the diamond capital of the world.
Legacy
The Great Diamond Rush lasted only a few years, but its impact continues to shape South Africa today. It led to the founding of Kimberley, the creation of De Beers, the careers of Cecil Rhodes and Barney Barnato, the development of modern diamond mining and the Mineral Revolution that transformed the country's economy.
What began with two diamonds found beside the Orange River ultimately created one of the world's most famous mining cities.
Continue Exploring Kimberley's Story
Kimberley has one of South Africa's richest and most fascinating histories. Through these pages, The Solomon shares some of the people, places and events that have shaped our city over the past 150 years. We hope these articles encourage you to discover more of Kimberley. And if you're planning a visit, Solomon Edwardian Guest House offers an ideal base from which to explore the city's history, heritage and attractions.
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