History of 150-year-old Drift, in a nutshell

As the district celebrates its 150th birthday, here are a few interesting points about the area that could be a great conversation-starter at the dining table.

•  Muldersdrift, being a natural crossing point, or drift, of the Crocodile River, Mulder’s Drift, with its level land on both sides, offered a reasonably safe crossing point for wagons, horses and oxen, thus becoming the main route between Pretoria, Rustenburg and Potchefstroom, and later Krugersdorp.

•  While the first farms in the area were registered in the 1840s, it was in fact in 1866 that the Mulder family arrived at the Drift, travelling north. They had to camp for quite a few months beside the river, at the drift, waiting for the flood waters to subside. It soon became known by locals and travellers as Mulder’s Drift and the name stuck. Within a few years the whole farming district was known as Mulder’s Drift.

•  The Muldersdrift district, while being a farming area, was the site of the first gold mine on the Witwatersrand, the first post office in the Transvaal and played a vital role in the Boer War.

•  Much has happened in the Muldersdrift district over its 150-year history, until today it is known as the tourism capital of Gauteng, encompassing the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.

Do you have any interesting historical facts about your community? Share them by sending us a message on Facebook, we would love to hear from you.

Source: Cathy Findley Public Relations for the Muldersdrift Community Action Group