Gold was discovered in 1872, six hours by horse from Lydenburg, by Thomas Mclachlan and partners. This triggered the first gold rush in South Africa and diggers from all over started to flock to what later became Mac-Mac. Alex “wheelbarrow” Patterson left Mac-Mac to prospect and in September1873 discovered the rich gold deposits in the Pilgrim’s Creek……………………………………………………………………..………………………………………………The news of this rich discovery spread fast and soon there were more than a thousand diggers working four thousand claims on the Goldfields. The Pilgrim’s Rest Goldfields yielded hundreds of thousands of Rand’s worth of gold and nuggets weighing up to 6kg were regularly found. The alluvial gold petered out by 1879 and the diggers had to start digging into the inter-bedded reefs. Smaller mining companies were formed to finance the mining ventures. In 1881, David Benjamin a London financier bought the mining concession from the Zuid-Afrikaanche” Republic for the farm on which Pilgrim’s Rest in situated. Benjamin compensated the diggers and the alluvial mining era came to an end. Most of the diggers left for the newly discovered gold deposits at Barberton.……………………………………………………………………..………………………………………………Benjamin’s company the Transvaal Gold and Land Exploration Company was in full production by 1882. The first hydro-electric power station was built in 1884 to supply electric power to the Brown’s Hill Plant. An electric tramline was built to transport the ore from all the different outlying mines to the Central Reduction Plant in Pilgrim’s Rest.……………………………………………………………………..………………………………………………In 1896, The Transvaal Gold and Land Exploration Company amalgamated with the smaller mining companies to form the Transvaal Gold Mining Estates. TGME mined in the Pilgrim’s valley until 1972 and sold the village and the farm on which it is situated to the South African Government, but they retained the mineral and mining rights. In 1986 the gold price increased and mining operations started again, making TGME the oldest existing gold mining company in South Africa.……………………………………………………………………..………………………………………………At the height of the Gold Rush, thirteen pubs catered for the digger’s thirsts, some of which wereNamed: The Halfway House, Yorkies, the Alhambra Palace, Tom Craddock’s Bar, Square face,The Spotted Dog, Stent’s Cathedral and The Vine.……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..The original Vine was established in 1874 as an Eating House / Pub on the Pilgrim’s Rest Goldfields. It was situated near the Theta Mine Battery site. The building, the present house, The Vine was built in 1904 as a General Dealers.
