Oudtshoorn is the largest town in in the Little Karoo region of South Africa. A street in Ynysybwl, Wales, relatively stereotypical of a small town A town is usually an urban area which is not considered to rank as a city. ... The Little Karoo is part of the semi-desert Karoo in South Africa. ...

History

The area in which Oudtshoorn is situated was originally inhabited by the Bushmen, as evidenced by the many rock paintings that are found in caves throughout the surrounding Swartberg mountains. The Bushmen or San peoples of South Africa and neighbouring Botswana and Namibia, who live in the Kalahari, are part of the Khoisan group and are related to the Khoikhoi. ...

The first European explorers of the area was a trading party led by a certain Ensign Shrijver, who were guided there by a Griqua via an ancient elephant trail in January 1689. The expedition reached as far as present-day Aberdeen before turning back and exiting the Klein Karoo valley through Attaquas Kloof on 16 March of the same year. However, it was only a a hundred years later that the first farmers started settling in the region. Alternate meanings: Ensign (rank), Ensign (magazine) An ensign is a distinguishing token, emblem, badge, or flag such as a symbol of office. ... The Griqua are a subgroup of South Africas Coloured population, descended from an admixture of European settlers and the Khoisan peoples they encountered on their initial arrival at the Cape. ... Events Louis XIV of France passed the Code Noir, allowing the full use of slaves in the French colonies. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in Leap years). ...

The first large permanent structure of the Klein Karoo, a church of the Dutch Reformed denomination, was first erected in 1839 near the banks of the Grobbelaars River. The village (and later town) of Oudtshoorn gradually grew around this church; it was named after Baron Pieter van Rheede van Oudtshoorn, who was appointed Governor of the Cape Colony in 1772 but died on the voyage out. The Dutch Reformed Church or Netherlands Reformed Church (in Dutch: Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk (NHK)) is a denomination of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin. ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Various rulers or governments of Europe, of Japan bestow or recognise the title of baron. ... Map of European presence in 1652 The Cape Colony was a part of South Africa under British occupation during the 19th century. ... Events February 17 - First partition of Russia and Prussia, later including Austria May - Watauga Association formed in East Tennessee as the first independent Anglo-American government. ...

A small one-room school was opened in 1858, followed by the formation of a municipality and the founding of an Agricultural Society in 1859. During the same year work was also started on a larger church to replace the original small one. 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... A municipality or general-purpose district (compare with: special-purpose district) is an administrative local area generally composed of a clearly defined territory and commonly referring to a city, town, or village government. ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ...

Unfortunately, 1859 also signalled the start of a long and serious drought which severely depressed the national economy - by 1865 there was serious poverty. When the drought was finally broken by floods in 1869 the depression lifted and Oudtshoorn was transformed from a struggling village to a town of great prosperity. 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... 1869 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

First Ostrich Boom

The main reason for the large rise in prosperity was the ostrich, whose feathers had become extremely popular as fashion accesories in Europe; they were especially popular for use on hats. Between 1875 and 1880 ostrich prices reached up to GBP 1,000 a pair. The farmers of the region, realising that ostriches were far more profitable than any other activity, ripped out their other crops and planted lucerne, which was used as feed for the ostriches. The rising wealth also finally allowed for the completion of the Dutch Reformed Church - it was opened on 7 June 1879. Binomial name Struthio camelus Linnaeus, 1758 The Ostrich (Struthio camelus, Greek sparrow camel) is the largest living bird, reaching a height of up to 2. ... 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... GBP may be: short for Game Boy Player the ISO currency code for the British Pound Sterling. ... Lucerne (German: Luzern) is a city in Central Switzerland with a population of 60,274 (31 December 2003), capital of the canton of Lucerne. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 1879 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Due to overproduction the ostrich industry experienced a sudden slump in fortunes in 1885; the town's misery was compounded when it was hit by severe flooding during the same year, which washed away the nearby Victoria Bridge which had been built over the Olifants River only the year before. 1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Second Ostrich Boom

The ostrich industry recovered only slowly and it was not until after the Second Anglo-Boer War of 1899 to 1902 that a second and bigger boom started. It was during this period that most of Oudtshoorn's famously opulent "Feather Palaces" were built. This boom peaked in 1913, before collapsing in 1914. As a result the region's economy was ruined and most farmers returned to more traditional crops. Boer guerrillas during the Second Boer War There were two Boer wars, one in 1880-81 and the second from October 11, 1899-1902 both between the British and the settlers of Dutch origin (called Boere, Afrikaners or Voortrekkers) in South Africa that put an end to the two independent... 1899 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Events January-April January 28 - The Carnegie Institution is founded in Washington, DC with a $10 million gift from Andrew Carnegie. ... 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Afrikaans

C. J. Langenhoven, the town's most famous inhabitant, rose to prominence during the post-collapse period. Considered by many to be one of the fathers of Afrikaans, Langenhoven was a prodigious writer who provided much of the literature that formed the backbone of the Afrikaans language during its early development. Cornelius Jacob Langenhoven (1873-1932), wrote under the pen names C.J. Langenhoven and Sagmoedige Neelsie, had a formidable role in South Africas Afrikaans literature and cultural history. ... Afrikaans is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia. ...

The Oudtshoorn of today is a large and modern town that relies mostly on tourism, farming and the ever-present ostrich industry for most of its economic activity. The Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees ("Little Karoo National Arts Festival"), South Africa's largest Afrikaans language arts festival, also takes place in the town on a yearly basis.

Wine

Oudtshoorn is the start of the Route 62 wine route.

Tourist attractions

Tourist attractions in Oudtshoorn and the surrounding areas include:

• Various ostrich "show farms".
• The Cango Wildlife Ranch
• The Cango Caves
• Wine.