THE TIMES OF SPITZKOP

Mimeographed mining camp newspaper produced at the Spitzkop Farm Gold Mine, Lydenburg District, South African Republic (ZAR), 1897.

4 pages on a single sheet of paper folded, 252 x 406mm, with articles of news and advertisements written by hand.

The first advertisements are for:

H.T. Glynn, Sabie. General Merchant and direct importer - has a good stock of kaffir tuck on hand & invites inspection.

A. H. Glynn & Co  - Spitzkop - Again we invite the inspection of the public to favour us with their company as we can conscientiously say without fear or favour that we have a new stock of dress material which would compare most favourably with stores in town. = &c.

Henry Thomas "HT" Glynn was a prominent big-game hunter, prospector, and entrepreneur. Though born in Cape Town, he moved to the eastern escarpment and in 1880 purchased the farm Grootfontein (which would later develop into the modern town of Sabie). Despite establishing his grand homestead, Huntington Hall, at Sabie.

Spitzkop was the birthplace of commercial gold mining in the region, with alluvial gold first discovered there in 1871. Glynn was active in prospecting these reefs.

In 1895, Glynn discovered a rich, viable gold reef on his property. This discovery led directly to the flotation of the Glynn's Lydenburg Gold Mining Company in 1897. This mine became the largest and most profitable operation in the entire district, running successfully until 1950.

Glynn later published his own memoirs titled Game and Gold: Memories of over 50 Years in the Lydenburg District, Transvaal.

An exhaustive search has not revealed another copy in private hands or in the major libraries in South Africa or elsewhere.