Upper Berg River Valley opened to free-burgher settlement

In 1687, Simon van der Stel opened land in the upper Berg River and Drakenstein region to free-burgher farming. Paarl became the first settlement in the valley, followed by farms and roads along the river. The new grants occupied land used by Khoikhoi pastoral communities and connected the district to the Cape’s expanding wheat and wine economy.

Significance

The decision extended colonial farming into the Berg River valley and converted a region used by Khoikhoi pastoral communities into a new settler district.