Pieter Jacob Marais' search for gold in the Transvaal

Abstract

On 7 October 1853 the prospector and adventurer P.J. Marais documented his first discovery of gold near the confluence of the Crocodile and Jukskei Rivers in the Transvaal. This article outlines his route from Potchefstroom to the Magaliesberge where he made his important discovery. Although his story is quite sketchy, Marais still succeeds in giving an impression of the country through which he travelled, as well as the people he met.