Beaufort West
Municipality
Municipality: Beaufort West Local Municipality
Name
Beaufort West is named after the Duke of Beaufort, father of Lord
Charles Somerset, Governor of the Cape. 'West' was added later to avoid
confusion with Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape, and Port Beaufort at the
mouth of the Breede River in the Western Cape.
Attractions
Also see the neighbouring
towns
Beaufort West lies on the bgorder of the Karoo National Park.
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History
The district of Beaufort was proclaimed on 27 November 1818. The
farms Hooivlakte inde Carro and Boesjemansberg were bought for the purpose
of establishing the town. The town was laid out in 1820. Beaufort West became
a municipality in 1836.The first bank was established by John Charles Molteno,
who latyer became Prime Minister of the Cape. In 1869 a newspaper, The Courier,
was founded.The Cape railway reached Beaufort West in 1880.
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Climate
Today's Weather Report Station
68727
Today's Weather Report Station
68728
Average rainfall is 200mm, which is far higher than other areas
in the surrounding Karoo.
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Ecosystem
The drought of 1849 killed many herds of game animals
who grazed in the area.These herds were so huge that Sir John Fraser wrote
that it took three days for a herd of wildebeest, blesboks, springboks, quaggas,
elands and more to pass by Beaufort. Townsfolk even killed some of them in
their gardens.
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