Early Kruger Map (1934)

[Thebi]

Great stuff I have a huge old map on the wall of my office which dates back before 1945, because my home town Welkom, which was only proclaimed in 1945, does not appear on the map. On top of the map the following appears;

"The Union of South Africa including Southern and Northern Rhodesia and Bechuanaland Protectorate"

It also gives the approximate number people in all the major towns, and it shows Nelspruit with an estimated white population of 1200!

I will try and get a pic of the Kruger area and post it here.

I had a look at the map again but could not find a date on which it was published. The following appear on the map;
1 Lydenburg: population 1799 'Europeans'
2 Baberton : 1447
3 Nelspruit : 660
4 No Phalaborwa town
5 No Lower Sabie
6 No Olifants camp

As mentioned previously, it is a very big map. Approximately 2,5 X 2 metres and it is framed. The map is very brittle and I don't want to take the risk by removing the frame. I have tried various tricks with ordinary cameras to get a decent pic, but without success and will try and get a professional photographer to do the job. I simply have to show you the map. It appears that the railway lines were the principal mode of transport because the roads were marked with a thin brown line, but the railway track were marked with thick black lines. I 'relieved' the previous owners, a law firm in Bloemfontein which was founded in 1902, of their map.

Can the Phalagatte please tell me when their little outpost was proclaimed? And for that matter, when Olifants and Lower Sabie was built.

7 On the western side of Kruger, only Rabelais and Malopene entrances.

Olifants was opened in 1960.

[Albert]

This map we found with my dad's effects; probably came from his father, who was a civil engineer and surveyor in the old Transvaal. This is about half of the whole map.



Here are some cropped images of the map:
The south:



The central part




And the north...



And the legend (added on 27/06)

[Bennievis]

Very interesting!

Phalaborwa did not even exist then.

Thanks for posting

[brogan]

Very interesting!! To see the first roads in Kruger:) as well as where the new roads/entrance gates and camps etc:) thank you for sharing!

[Grantmissy]

What is interesting to me is Kemp’s Cottage on the map just a little south of Skukuza. According to my information it used to be a well known Selati Railway Halt. The cottage got its name from the occupant of the house circa 1927, a rail foreman called Kemp .

[cheetah2111]

Interesting!

It is amazing to know that some of those quiet dirt roads where we now escape the crowds, used to be the main roads
So the S114 Renosterkoppies used to be the main road from Malalane to Skukuza!
The S90 was the only road going North of Satara Then only one road going North all the way to Pafuri

[Rooies]

What a treasure Albert. Please post all the old stuff, I just like the old maps, pictures etc. Your map gives me an indication as to the age of my wall map. Lower Sabie does not appear anywhere.

[Albert]

I will post the old photographs as soon as I can...last night I confidently went to the bookcase where I KNEW they were stored....and of course they were not there!
To deal with the catastrophe at hand I thought that a glass or two of red wine would calm my shattered nerves...which it did, to such an extent that I completely forgot to keep searching for the missing photographs.

I have a since developed a suspicion that they might actually be with another member of my family; I will see if I can track them down (weather and wine permitting).

Rest assured that I will eventually post them.

[Hugh]

I have managed to scan some maps .. one is in 4 parts Its a more modern version of the one albert sent but still fairly old There is a picture of an ellie and a morris minor .
The dark lines are our trip taken on our honeymoon in 1970 but the map is a lot older than that




The other map is taken from a brochure dated 1949 again slight changes from alberts map

[Hugh]

the 1949 map

[Grantmissy]

These historical Kruger maps are very good. I like them. I think those who own some of these Kruger memorabilia are so lucky. Thanks Albert for a great thread as I think many of us are interested in seeing the maps and photograps of yesteryear .

[Albert]

This the legend to the original map (the English one).
Note the "Native Kraals" which were still in the park. It now becomes quite clear where some of the names come from...like the Salitje road, and the Babalala picnic site...



Also added this to the OP

[hilda]

I never knew there were ponts? Very interesting!