The sink hole at Boesmansgat
Daniëlskuil lies at the foot of the Kuruman Hills, 90km south of Kuruman.
Tswana occupied the land on which it is built before it became home to the Griqua. Passing through in 1816, missionary James Read named the place ‘Fraaifontein’.
Other sources quote ‘Koup’ and ‘Tlakalatlou’ (seTswana for ‘elephant’s reed’) as its name. The name, ‘Daniel’s Den’ was first found in documents by the missionary, Campbell, in 1820. The name derives from a natural crater in a limestone formation, reminding observers of the Biblical story of Daniel.Historians have found no evidence supporting the legend that early Griqua inhabitants used this sinkhole as a prison. Though small, the town thrives on limestone quarrying, diamond mining and the large farming community.
