History Webs
For the Drakenstein Valley
Towns
Origin of the name
In October 1657 a group of Dutch officials, soldiers, servants
and trackers left Table Bay to barter stock from the Khoikhoi. In his
journal Pieter Potter refers to Paarl Mountain as "den Diamandt ende
Peerlbergh". This was the first documented reference to the name Paarl,
meaning pearl.
Map
If you have a reasonable
internet connection have a look at this Google
Map.
Farms
Under construction
Industry
Under construction
Further reading
* Paarl Valley
1687-1987, HSRC, Pretoria, 1987, edited by AG Oberholster
Paarl - a village at the foot of Paarl Mountain
PAARL A view
of central Paarl in the late 1800s. Note the large garden
plots. The houses on the upper left once belonged to freed slaves. Also
note the large number of granite boulders on the slopes of Paarl
Mountain. Many of the loose boulders were later removed for building
material, to make gravel for Paarl's streets and to make grave stones.
The photograph is from the Drakenstein Heemkring's Gribble Collection.
See the History Webs gallery for more photographs
...