Those were the days
Before tarred roads, transport, running water and electricity
Ever wonder how things worked in the time when Roodepoort did not have tarred roads, public transport, running water or electricity?
Carolina Geldenhuys from the Roodepoort Museum went digging through the archives and found some answers.
During the period of the first gold discoveries on the West Rand, ox-wagons were practically the only mode of transport on the dusty, untarred roads – the alternative being horse-back. Old aerial photographs of Roodepoort show that the area between what is now the lower end of Constantia Kloof, between Golf Club Terrace and Christiaan de Wet Road, was a popular ‘outspan’ spot until the mid 1930s.
In 1890, the existing railway line from Boksburg to Johannesburg was extended to Krugersdorp, and stations were built at Maraisburg, Florida and Roodepoort. Railway halts were added at Roodepoort West, Unified and Princess in 1930, making travelling a bit easier.
Residents initially had to use furrows and wells to get water for household purposes, and their sanitary arrangements consisted of pit latrines and bucket toilets. In 1907, household running water was made possible by the water supply scheme introduced by the Municipality of Roodepoort-Maraisburg. Residents were eventually able to convert to better sanitary methods with the introduction of waterborne sewerage in the 1930s.
The first street-lighting scheme introduced by the municipality was the installation of paraffin standard lamps in 1904, and in 1910, candles and paraffin lamps in homes were being replaced by electric lights.
These developments revolutionised the way homes were run, by introducing running water, proper sanitation and electricity, and mean that today, we can be assured of enjoying our creature comforts with minimal effort and disruption.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites Randfontein Herald, Krugersdorp News and Get It Joburg West Magazine
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