The first flood closes Meiringspoort
1885 · district · Klaarstroom
[SRC-010, Rose Willis Klaarstroom cameo. TERTIARY, TO VERIFY] So severe the pass had to be closed, stranding 50 transport wagons at Klaarstroom - loads spread across the veld for miles, oxen and horses roaming for grazing, people camped, and the edible cargo quietly disappearing. Thomas Bain was called in, repaired and upgraded the road, and it reopened in 1886. [25 Aug 2026] CORROBORATED FROM INSIDE A HOUSEHOLD: Almero Oosthuizen's diary (SRC-586), age seven that year, remembers three days and nights of rain and bitter cold, ostriches dead of it, and the road through the poort washed out entirely - 'die pad was toe baie laer as nou.'
Who is on record here
Everyone the record names at this occasion. Who stood together is the clearest surviving evidence of which families were close to which, if you know of others who were here, this is the page they belong on.
Sources
- Rose Willis and Doreen Atkinson, with Judy Maguire and Bruce Rubidge, "Klaarstroom: Ancient place of clear waters" (Karoo Cameos, 2021) Karoo Cameos, 2021
- 'Brokkies uit oupa Almero Oosthuizen se dagboek', Klaarstroom - Zeekoegat 1885/1933 - Die Oudtshoorn Courant Scans DOC-0348 (left), DOC-0349 (page), DOC-0350 (right); published verbatim as story STO-0048