Boegoeberg Dam
dam in near Prieska, Northern Cape
Boegoeberg Dam is a gravity type dam on the Orange River, near Prieska, Northern Cape, South Africa. Building was started in 1926 and completed by 1933. Boegoeberg is named for the small tree Croton gratissimus, also known as Bergboegoe. Its primary purpose is for irrigation and it has a low hazard potential.
History
Groblershoop was originally known as Sternham, after a Mr. Stern who built a small pumping station to draw water from the Orange River in the 1920s only to see it ruined by a 1925 flood. A Mr. Litchfield had already set up a hydroelectric generator and pump on the Orange in the 1890s, since he was well aware of the irrigation potential along the banks where farmers had hauled water with difficulty to their farms since 1872. Mr. Litchfield suggested a public irrigation scheme in 1895 to no avail.
The public source identifies “Boegoeberg Dam” as dam in near Prieska, Northern Cape. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Boegoeberg, Prieska and Northern.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Boegoeberg Dam”, the useful work is to connect “dam in near Prieska, Northern Cape” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4937091. Authority coordinates are -29.042, 22.204. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1926, 1933, 1925 and 1872.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Boegoeberg Dam”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Boegoeberg Dam primary sources, Boegoeberg Dam archive and Boegoeberg research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Boegoeberg Dam”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Boegoeberg Dam” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.