9/2/066/0023

Exploration for copper deposits was initiated by Governor Simon van der Stel in the Late 1600’s, after noting copper bands on the arms and ankles of the Nama people. There is however not much archaeological evidence i.e. the recovery of metallurgical slag and furnace debris of copper smelting along with studies of radiocarbon dating of organic samples in the Namaqualand region for preEuropean copper mining and smelting. Van der Stel’s expedition became successful in the Springbok area in 1685, and prospecting pits were dug in the region, but later abandoned because of the lack of infrastructure and water, and high transportation costs. It is not until 1837, that Lieutenant Patterson from Scotland, located copper deposits in Springbok and several unsuccessful attempts were made to form mining companies to commercially mine the discovered copper deposits. Eventually in 1850, the company Philips and King was established, which purchased the farm Springbokfontein (shortened to Springbok in 1911) and started mining in 1852.

The copper mining towns in the Namaqua District were initially zoned for mining and its associated mining infrastructure. This later changed to include business and residential stands, as is the case for the mine Springbokfontein. Extraction in the site came to a halt in 1861, and the town was nearly abandoned by 1877 as the mines were and still are responsible for mass employment. Even through this mass migration, the town remained the regional service center. It re-open due to the reduction in shipping costs in 1881 under new ownership of the Cape Copper Mining Company and extraction continued for about 10 years. About “15,000 tons of ore averaging 10–27% Cu” was extracted from the mine with mining reaching a depth of between 200–250 m.

hough the Blue Mine produced low grade ore and was not functional for a long period of time, it became, not only what we consider today, a significant historical mine and an exceptional indicator of a shift from pre-colonial mining methods to industrial mining, but it is a physical representation of the Cornish mineworker’s influence in Namaqualand copper fields. It is a site that tells a story of the establishment of a functional town whose economy, almost entirely rested on the mine