Port Elizabeth's rich cultural heritage guarantees history lovers a unique insight into the Eastern Cape and the Bay’s diverse and remarkable past.
The nomadic San were the earliest group of indigenous people known to live in the Eastern Cape. The Khoi displaced the San into the mountains and semi-desert area, early in the second millennium AD.
A journey of discovery to find a route to the East brought the Portuguese, Bartolomeu Dias to the area. He rounded the “Cabo da Roca” (Cape of the Rock) in February 1488 and entered “Baia da Roca” (Bay of the Rock). Dias also gave the name “Ilheus Chaos” (Flat Islands) to the Bird Islands while on this voyage.
Vasco da Gama, Dias’ successor also entered the area in 1497. Cape Recife was named “Cabo do Arricife” (Cape of the Reel) by da Gama. The "Bay" was later named "Baia de Lagoa" by navigator and cartographer Manuel de Mesquita Perestrelo in 1576.
4 000 British Settlers arrived by sea in the early 1800's (notgiving you that date), to become the first permanent British residents in the Albany District.
On 6 June 1820, Sir Rufane Donkin, Acting Governor of the Cape Colony at the time, named the new sea port in memory of his late wife, Elizabeth.
Port Elizabeth was a commercial hub before the up-country gold and diamond booms and traded in wool, mohair and ostrich feathers. As a result, the harbour became a bustling port. Many people traveled to the city in search of trade and labour opportunities because the city was now an established commercial centre.
Early Port Elizabeth was characterized by the settlement of immigrant communities which included European and Cape Malay communities. The diverse community lived together according to economic and social status, rather than on an ethnic basis. However, when the Group Areas Act was legislated in 1960, this resulted in forced relocation under the apartheid law among the non-white population and the townships came into being.
Solve the following historic questions to calculate the cache's final coordinates.
S 34 02.ABC E 25 34.DEF
A: In what year did the British Settlers arrive in Algoa Bay? Take the third number in the date
B: Bethelsdorp was established by Dr Johannes Theodosius Van Der Kemp in what year? Take the fourth number in the date.
C: The "SS Mendi" sank off the Isle of Wight after colliding with the "SS Davo"in what year? Take the fourth number in the date.
D: The Campanile was completed in 1922 and has how many steps? Take the second number.
E: The historic Port Elizabeth Main Library was completed in 1902 and the marble statue of Queen Victoria was added in front of it in what year? Take the fourth number in the date.
F: The Port Elizabeth City Hall was built between 1858 and 1862. In what year was the clock tower added? Take the fourth number in the date.
