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Events/Rush · 1871

Kimberley diamond rush

Rush, 1871 to 1914, South Africa.

What happened

Digging at the Kimberley mine began in 1871 and ended on 14 August 1914. The mine yielded 2,722 kg of diamonds from 22.5 million tons of ground and left a hole 214 metres deep.1,2

Why it matters

The hand-dug Big Hole is the best-known symbol of the diamond rush.1,2

Story cards

Around the same time

  1. Barney Barnato born

    Barney Barnato born (date from Wikidata).3

  2. Alfred Beit born

    Alfred Beit born (date from Wikidata).4

  3. Big Hole at Kimberley: inception

    Big Hole at Kimberley: inception.5

  4. Kimberley diamond rush

    The hand-dug Big Hole is the best-known symbol of the diamond rush.1,2

  5. Ernest Oppenheimer born

    Ernest Oppenheimer born (date from Wikidata).6

  6. De Beers founded

    De Beers founded.7

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Where next

Mines

Located inKimberley Big HoleSee the mine behind this story: Kimberley Big Hole.1

Events

Led toDe Beers Consolidated Mines foundedRhodes bought a claim in 1871. De Beers Consolidated was founded on 13 March 1888.8ExamplesKimberley Big Hole stops workDigging began in 1871 and ended on 14 August 1914, with 2,722 kg of diamonds recovered.1

Places

Located inKimberleySee the place where this happened: Kimberley.1

Sources

  1. The Big Hole Kimberley Kimberley City Info (local information site)
  2. Kimberley (item Q125905), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  3. Wikidata item Q808476 (Barney Barnato)
  4. Wikidata item Q77802 (Alfred Beit)
  5. Wikidata item Q19040 (Big Hole at Kimberley: inception)
  6. Wikidata item Q819374 (Ernest Oppenheimer)
  7. Wikidata item Q471891 (De Beers founded)
  8. De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd. is founded (13 March 1888) South African History Online

From the Prospector Trails mining history dataset: each fact links to the source it was checked against. Figures are as the source gives them, in the money of their day. Not investment advice.

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Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: The Big Hole by Rudolph Botha, CC BY-SA 3.0; Super Pit, Kalgoorlie by Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0; Underground mining equipment by Kaupo Kikkas, CC BY-SA 4.0. Pictures: Kimberley, South Africa: the Kimberley mine and town. Woodburytype, 1888, after a photograph by Robert Harris., Harris, Robert, active 1881-1888. (Public Domain Mark 1.0).