Modimolle

History

In the 1860s, a group of Voortrekkers known as the Jerusalem Trekkers set off for the Holy Land. After discovering a wide river flowing northwards, they consulted the maps at the back of their Bibles and decided that it was the Nylrivier (Nile river). They called the stream Nyl River and settled the town and called it Nylstroom in 1866. After discovering what they believed to be a ruined pyramid, they were convinced that they had found the Nile. It was in fact, a natural hillock, known to the locals as Modimolle. In March 1866, the district of Waterberg was created out of some of the districts of Rustenburg and Zoutpansberg with a landdrost established in Nylstroom. A Dutch Reformed Church was built in 1889 and is the oldest church in South Africa north of Pretoria. It was also used as a hospital during the Second Boer War. The river is the Nyl River, a tributary of the Mogalakwena River. The first South African railway line reached Modimolle in 1898, connecting the town to Pretoria. During the Second Boer War, the British government operated a concentration camp in Modimolle, where Boer women and children where interned as part of the Lord Kitchener's scorched earth policy. 544 of those interned at the camp died of various causes before it was closed upon the conclusion of the war in 1902. Strijdom Huis (Strijdom House) was the primary residence of the 6th Prime Minister of South Africa, JG Strijdom, and is situated in Modimolle. The South African government officially changed the name of the town to Modimolle in 2002. The name comes from the Sotho-Tswana phrase, Modimo o lle, meaning "the forefather's spirit has eaten", or "God has eaten". Other numerous name changes include the renaming of both a municipal building and the town hall after Oliver Tambo, the…

Most-observed species

• Laughing Dove

  Spilopelia senegalensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,614
• Gray Go-away-bird

  Corythaixoides concolor (A.Smith, 1833) · Aves
  1,543
• Fork-tailed Drongo

  Dicrurus adsimilis (Bechstein, 1794) · Aves
  1,513
• Red-eyed Dove

  Streptopelia semitorquata (Rüppell, 1837) · Aves
  1,511
• Dark-capped Bulbul

  Pycnonotus tricolor (Hartlaub, 1862) · Aves
  1,499
• Hadada Ibis

  Bostrychia hagedash (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,425
• Arrow-marked Babbler

  Turdoides jardineii (A.Smith, 1836) · Aves
  1,405
• Black-collared Barbet

  Lybius torquatus (Dumont, 1805) · Aves
  1,392

Most recent

• M 4.8 — 2013-12-02
  33 km SE of Modimolle, South Africa
• M 4.2 — 2013-06-22
  26 km ESE of Thabazimbi, South Africa