Parys on the Vaal

Abstract

Parys was founded in 1876 on the farm Klipspruit. The discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886 meant a great deal to the development of this town, which by 1890 was one of the ten largest in the OFS. The Second Anglo Boer War, however, ended all progress for the time being. The railway line to Parys was completed in 1905 and a weir built across the Vaal River five years later both increased the agricultural potential of the area and created facilities for water sport. In due course various industries and business enterprises were established, so that today Parys is an attractive and prosperous town with a White population of more than eight thousand.