The Cache
The micro cache is a black canister a little larger than a 35mm
film strategically placed and covered in the parking lot on the
public side of the gate.
Original contents is a marble, moon and wand shaped bands -
unfortunately only space for small treasures and you will need to
bring your own pen.
As the cache is placed around 1.8m off the ground smaller
cacher's will need some help retrieving the cache but should be
able to spot the hiding location. Normally this is a secluded spot
with some muggles towards the Dullstroom Inn side - however the
difficulty will increase if you arrive while the church is
occupied.
Please note the gate is normally locked so please respect the
private property - you do not need to go onto the fenced in
area.
Please cover the canister again and add some leaves to make it
blend in.
I hope you enjoy this cache and take some time to read the
history of the area below and then appreciate some of the landmarks
around town more.
History of Dullstroom
Dullstroom dates back to the early 1880s when Dutch Settlers
made their way to the place of "eternal mist". The town features
the highest railway station in South Africa at 2,077 m above sea
level as well as at the foot of De Berg, the highest point in the
province at 2,332 m high. The town is one of the highest towns in
South Africa.
The architecture of the village of Dullstroom is a mixture of
19th and 20th century building designs.
Dullstroom before the Anglo-Boer War
Dullstroom is the only place in South Africa where beech and elm
trees grow in any significant numbers. A group of immigrants from
the Netherlands initially planted these trees in the 1880's.
In the 1880's emigration to South Africa was strongly encouraged
by President Paul Kruger and support committees were set up
throughout Holland. In 1883 a company, led by Wolterus Dull, was
established to strengthen ties between the two countries. The
company then bought two farms (Groot Suikerboschkop and
Elandslaagte) from a local farmer, Hendrik Theodorus Buhrmann, in
order to establish a settlement. The first Dutch settlers, led by
JH Hanson Jnr, arrived in May 1884 with more Dutch families
following in 1884 - 1887. They were soon discouraged by the eternal
mist, everlasting cold and total lack of civilized amenities. There
were no houses, the nearest shop and Post Office were at Bergendal
25km away, the available agricultural land was not as fertile as
they had hoped and there was no market for their produce. In 1887
the settlement consisted of 48 white inhabitants, 8 houses, 3
stables and 10 cattle kraals. WC Jansen's "Boeren
Handelsvereeniging winkel"; was the community's general dealer.
Dullstroom was proclaimed a town on 9 October 1893 by Paul
Kruger and was originally named Dull's-stroom, later simplified to
Dullstroom, after Wolterus Dull and the Crocodile River ("stroom"
is an Afrikaans word meaning "stream") which flows nearby.
In 1894 Dullstroom was reported to have had a population of 100
whites.
Dullstroom during the Anglo-Boer War
When the British solders occupied Dullstroom in May 1900, during
the Anglo-Boer War, they virtually razed the village to the ground.
The women and children were removed to a British concentration camp
in Belfast. Many died fighting and others died in detention. Most
of the buildings in town, including the Dutch Reformed
Church, which was built before the town was proclaimed,
were destroyed during the war.
After the pitched battle of Dalmanutha (August 1900), the war
assumed the form of guerilla warfare and sporadic fighting occurred
in the area. "Long Toms", the cannons, which the Boers used to try
and dislodge the British from Lydenburg in the battle between the
Boers and the British in the Anglo-Boer War (1899 -1902) in the
Lydenburg area, were more easily moved as they were fitted with 4
wheels, whilst the 5 inch British guns had only 2 wheels. The Boers
also fired with the Long Toms at ranges which were too far for the
British field artillery to reply. An encounter took place in
December 1901 at Elandspruit which resulted in British and Boer
casualties.
Dullstroom after the Anglo-Boer War
After the war the immigrants returned to Dullstroom and started
to rebuild the village from the ashes. TNH Janson (Oom Teun) was
one of the first to return to Dullstroom.
The Dutch Reformed Church was rebuilt in 1905 and
housed the first school in Dullstroom.
The stone shrine built by the settlers in 1887 was also
destroyed during the war, but rebuilt in 1934 and the townspeople
added a garden of remembrance in 1988. One of the most popular
restaurants today, Rose Cottage, dates back to the 1880's and is
one of the few buildings that survived the War.
By 1920, 8 shops had been established and in 1921 the village
was granted the status of a Town Council.
Dullstroom's European heritage is evident in its wonderful array
of deciduous trees - birches, lindens, cherry and many other
varieties planted here over a century ago. Many cornerstones on
surviving buildings date back to 1890 or earlier and in the
historic cemetery Irish, Dutch and English surnames testify to a
varied community tradition of shared happiness and sorrow.
How Did Dullstroom Become a Fly Fishing Paradise?
The trout industry started back in 1912 when J. Gurr the
postmaster of Lydenburg, unexpectedly caught a fish that looked
like a trout in the Dorps River. He pondered if trout would take to
the waters of the Highlands around the town and ordered ova from
Stellenbosch.
The first trout fingerlings were released in 1916 into a few
local streams from hatcheries in the mountains of the Cape
Winelands. F.C. Braun, the local watchmaker and jeweller took over
the job of stocking the streams with trout, after Gurr's departure
from town.
The first proper stocking in this district of Dullstroom took
place in 1927. Trout hatching boxes were placed and attended in the
old municipality dam. The present municipality dam was constructed
during 1965, and was stocked in the following year with 17,000
trout fingerlings. The hatchlings did so well that tourism, angling
and the breeding of trout for the table and stock, form an
important industries in sustaining the economy of the Dullstroom
District.
As they say the rest is history.
FTF honors go to BAKGAT!