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Village (Figs. 2.4 & 2.5), and this position is within a reasonable half-hour climb from the

level of the Silvermine Valley below.

To be effective as a lookout point, from which an early warning of potential danger could be
conveyed to Table Bay, the lookout men would have used the established track or tracks

running between the two Steenberg buiteposte. These may approximate those shown on the

map of 1787. (Fig. 2.1). The (likely) location of the ‘Aghter de Steenbergh’ lookout point is
one of a number of fascinating historic sites and structures in or around the Silvermine

Valley. Its inferred location is shown on the Google image (Fig. 2.6.)

The Silver Mine Buitepos (1685 - 1688)

In the search for silver, which took place between 1685 and 1688 during the governorship of

Simon van der Stel, one vertical shaft and two horizontal adits were sunk in the valley. The
location of the first of these, a vertical shaft adjacent to and just above the Ou Kaapse Weg, is

well known as it is clearly signposted. The two horizontal adits were driven into the sides of

the valley. The western adit is situated on the steep slope below the vertical shaft and the
intention may possibly have been to link these two, while the second is on the opposite side

of the Silvermine River on the eastern flank of the valley (Fig. 2.7). Unfortunately no silver
or other precious minerals were found during the three-year period. Photographs of the mines

taken in the 1960s indicate that at that stage they were in a reasonable condition, but today
the shaft is partially flooded while the east adit is partially filled with rubble, and both adit

entrances are choked with bush. (Figs. 2.8 - 2.12.) More details on these historic mining

excavations can be found in The Early Mines of the Cape Peninsula, (P. Spargo, KBHA
Bulletin No. 14.)

The Ruin in the centre of the Silver Mines

While examining the valley area for the entrances to the west and east adits, the stone
foundations of a rectangular structure were found (Fig. 2.13.) Although the DEIC only

provided a tent waterproofed with tar for the 1672 - 91 cattle station herders, it seems that by
1687 the miners had built a much more substantial structure for themselves. On 15 November

1687 Governor Simon van der Stel, while investigating Yselstein Bay (which he renamed