This portion of Africa was first visited by Europeans at the end of the 1700’s. The inhabitants of the Orange Free State were divided into three groups – “Europeans or whites” , “aboriginal natives” and “mixed and other coloured races” . The natives consisted of many tribes which included the Boers, Bushman, Hottenots, Bantu, Barolong, Basunto, Moshesh and Zulus. The first white inhabitants of this area were Dutch farmers , followed by Russians, Polish and British.

Most of the inhabitants lived on the eastern part of the country , because the “well-watered” land is suitable for farming and horse breeding. In 1904, agriculture was classified as the most popular occupation on the census. The chief crop in this region is mea

lies, which is the “staple food of the natives”. Other crops grown are wheat, oathay, Kaffir corn, oats, potatoes, pumpkins, other table vegetables and tobacco. Fruit farming was also gaining popularity at this time, with fruits such as peaches, apricots, apples, oranges, lemons, pears, figs and plums being grown most often. Raising life stock was another major industry in this part of the province. Many epidemics and wars almost depleted the entire livestock population, yet right after conflicts concluded there was a rapid increase in the numbers of sheep, cattle, horses, goats, pigs, and ostriches.

Transportation, as well as communication, in the Orange Free State is mostly done through the extensive state owned railroad. There are also “well-kept high-roads” connecting all the towns, as well as a government mail cart to places that the railway doesn’t touch. There was also a very organized postal system and an “extensive telegraph system” . The most popular form of transportation among the inhabitants is the “light Cape cart” and a wagon drawn by oxen to take produce to the markets.

The British didn’t set up the colony just for the English speaking in habitants though. The law of the province in 1910 was the “Roman-Dutch law” . Criminal cases in the state were tried before a “judge and a jury of nine” . The number of Dutch was quite large so the British also had to keep them happy. Although the Anglican Church was the Church of England, this religion wasn’t pushed on the inhabitants. Over ninety-five percent of the white inhabitants were Protestants and

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