Paul Roux
Encyclopedia
Paul Roux is a small town
in the flatlands of Free State
province of South Africa
that produces poplar
wood for the safety match industry. General farming however remains the main industry. It was established in 1909 by Dutch Reform
Reverend Paul Roux on the farm Palmietfontein, and today has a population of 5,722. Initially there was dispute as to the name of the new town. The final name was decided, in a dice like fashion, by the roll of a boulder from the koppie (hill) above the town. The boulder landed face up displaying the name of the town as we know it today.
Former South African president P. W. Botha was born in Paul Roux in 1916 on the farm Telegraaf (Telegraph).
A Boer monument is located close by next to the Sand River on the farm Tevrede (Content) for children that died from measles during the Great Trek
.
During the Second Boer War
of 1899-1902, the farm Witnek was occupied by the British. The farm house was converted into a hospital and the mountain pass, bearing the same name of the farm, was guarded in an effort to block the path for the famous Boer general, Christiaan de Wet
.
Large, clear, dinosaur footprints left on sandstone rock can be found on the farm, Uniondale.
The farm, Zuringkranz, was a halfway house for refreshing the horses pulling the postal wagons and coaches.
In town boasts various examples of sandstone architecture. Excellent examples being the Dutch Reformed Church, local school and various other houses. Most streets remain unsurfaced and the town has a character of a time gone by.
The lokasie (township), Fateng-Tse-Ntso, a remnant of the Apartheid system, is still fully occupied by the original inhabitants and growing quickly. It boasts a new high school and library. Water supply remains a problem in the area.
The first Paul Roux in South Africa set foot in Cape Town
in 1688 as a Huguenot
. There are many descendants of Paul Roux that still live in South Africa
and have the family name.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the flatlands of Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
province of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
that produces poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
wood for the safety match industry. General farming however remains the main industry. It was established in 1909 by Dutch Reform
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
Reverend Paul Roux on the farm Palmietfontein, and today has a population of 5,722. Initially there was dispute as to the name of the new town. The final name was decided, in a dice like fashion, by the roll of a boulder from the koppie (hill) above the town. The boulder landed face up displaying the name of the town as we know it today.
Former South African president P. W. Botha was born in Paul Roux in 1916 on the farm Telegraaf (Telegraph).
A Boer monument is located close by next to the Sand River on the farm Tevrede (Content) for children that died from measles during the Great Trek
Great Trek
The Great Trek was an eastward and north-eastward migration away from British control in the Cape Colony during the 1830s and 1840s by Boers . The migrants were descended from settlers from western mainland Europe, most notably from the Netherlands, northwest Germany and French Huguenots...
.
During the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
of 1899-1902, the farm Witnek was occupied by the British. The farm house was converted into a hospital and the mountain pass, bearing the same name of the farm, was guarded in an effort to block the path for the famous Boer general, Christiaan de Wet
Christiaan De Wet
Christiaan Rudolf de Wet was a Boer general, rebel leader and politician.He was born on the Leeuwkop farm, in the district of Smithfield in the Boer Republic of the Orange Free State...
.
Large, clear, dinosaur footprints left on sandstone rock can be found on the farm, Uniondale.
The farm, Zuringkranz, was a halfway house for refreshing the horses pulling the postal wagons and coaches.
In town boasts various examples of sandstone architecture. Excellent examples being the Dutch Reformed Church, local school and various other houses. Most streets remain unsurfaced and the town has a character of a time gone by.
The lokasie (township), Fateng-Tse-Ntso, a remnant of the Apartheid system, is still fully occupied by the original inhabitants and growing quickly. It boasts a new high school and library. Water supply remains a problem in the area.
The first Paul Roux in South Africa set foot in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
in 1688 as a Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
. There are many descendants of Paul Roux that still live in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and have the family name.