Episode 1 of 4

Discovery at Colesberg Kopje

When: 1871
Where: Colesberg Kopje
Part of: New Rush diamond discovery and diamond rush at Kimberley

Esau Damoense found diamonds on Colesberg Kopje in 1871, sparking the New Rush diamond rush and the establishment of the mining camp.

Henry Richard Giddy recounted that Esau Damoense, cook for Fleetwood Rawstorne's "Red Cap Party", found diamonds in 1871 on Colesberg Kopje. He was sent there to dig as punishment. This discovery led to the establishment of the New Rush town and a massive influx of miners.

Sources

Kimberley, South Africa Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-08

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.