21 Facts About Louis Tregardt

Seemingly abandoned by a follow-up trek, and distant from supplies and buyers for their ivory, Tregardt abandoned the settlement, and led the party southeastwards to the Portuguese outpost at Delagoa bay that would later become Maputo.

Louis Tregardt's wife perished at the fort in May 1838, followed by Louis Tregardt six months afterward.

Louis Tregardt's grandfather Pietrus Tradgard was a Calvinist refugee from Backebo, Kalmar, Southern Sweden who arrived at the Cape in 1731 at the age of 19.

Louis Tregardt's grandfather married a daughter of the German Eksteen family.

Louis Tregardt's family moved to Uitenhage after his birth, and hence to Graaff-Reinet.

Louis Tregardt farmed at various places in Graaff-Reinet district before settling in Uitenhage district in 1810.

Louis Tregardt soon moved to Boschberg farm near Bruintjeshoogte, which was expropriated in 1814.

Louis Tregardt then acquired De Plaat farm at Daggaboers Nek, where he was appointed as field cornet for Smaldeel ward in 1825.

Louis Tregardt ostensibly had an uneasy relationship with the colonial authorities however, and agreed to rent grazing land from Xhosa chief Hintsa.

In 1829 Louis Tregardt sent his son Carolus to graze their cattle along the Black Kei River, then the northern boundary of British Kaffraria.

In 1833 Louis Tregardt crossed the neutral zone to join his son.

Louis Tregardt however moved his family and livestock to grazing land between the Caledon and Orange Rivers, just outside the colony, where he resided in 1835.

Louis Tregardt coordinated his movements with those of his friend Hendrik Potgieter, who was to follow his trail.

Louis Tregardt started the northward trek with eight families besides his own, and was joined by the trek of Johannes van Rensburg, another farmer living in exile.

Louis Tregardt sojourned at the salt pan on the Zoutpansberg's western promontory from May to August 1836, where he was visited by Potgieter's scouting party, who assured him that they would soon catch up and join his trek.

Louis Tregardt's party was to stay here until June 1837, in which time they built rudimentary houses, a workshop and a school for the twenty-one children.

From June to August 1837 Louis Tregardt's party camped eastwards at the Doorn river, whereafter they departed from the Zoutpansberg to find a new home or trading route to the sea.

Louis Tregardt decided on a southerly approach to Delagoa Bay, avoiding the Limpopo where the Van Rensburgs were murdered, and the tsetse flies endemic to the low regions.

Louis Tregardt arrived at the Olifants River via Chuniespoort on 2 October 1837, and consulted chief Sekwati of the Pedi people about a way forward.

The climate and grazing at the fort was found to be unfavorable for a long term stay, and Louis Tregardt dispatched a servant to Natal to request an evacuation by sea.

Louis Tregardt was the only Voortrekker leader to keep a diary of his trek, a valuable document in terms of linguistics and ethnology, besides his observations on the weather patterns, geography and the wildlife of the interior.