History

This is the fountain of J.H.Wilson,
in native language called 'Achas'
and means elephant grass.

The name Wilsonfontein was coined by a certain J. H. Wilson. He traded in 1848 near Kolonbeng with weapons an ivory. There he met Livingstone who gave him permission to discover "Lake Ngami" to trade with the local people there. He attempted several journeys between 1849-1858. There he married a chieftain daughter and had a child with her. His wife Kuanten did not wanted to leave Bechuanaland to accompany Wilson to the west coast and his probable final goal, England. She stayed with her child and was later married by her father to a Nguato and became a teacher among the Kwena.

It is said that he swapped a broken rifle worth (then) 60p for 10 large elephant tusks. At this stage countless tusks where reported to be lying about on the ground through the region. Soon the new spread in Cape Town that the legendary elephants graveyard was discovered and rush of traders followed. On his second journey he swapped one rifle against one tusk. By 1854 the exchange was 25 pounds of gunpowder, 1 gun and a quantity of cloth per tusk.

Wilson moved on his journeys between Cape Town, Kolonbeng and Walfishbay. In Cape Town he bought Ox wagons with goods and supplies. Then he trekked to Kolonbeng where he traded. From there he went thru Hereroland to Walfishbay, where he sold his Ox wagon and went by ship back to Cape Town to sell his ivory and hides. The triangle route started all over again.

During this time he came to Hereroland and started to farm at a fountain south of the Swakop River and near to the Annykurumassib Mountains. Later the farm was named WILSONFONTEIN. Veldskoendraers stole 500 of his cattle and burned four of his shepherds. Swartbooi, a Hottentot's chieftain, brought him 250 back, which pleased Wilson.

Again in December 1863 Topnaars stole all of his cattle which where brought back by the Hottentots. At the end of 1866 Wilson acquired with the help of the missionary C. H. Hahn a concession from Maharero, a Herero chieftain, for the Walfishbay Mining Company. There he was the manager and transport contractor. Wilson was at the Diamond Fields in 1870 and disappeared later in Natal.

The Hottentottenkirche

On the original South West African maps it was called W-Mountain

When the first German settlers came to South West Africa in the late 19th century the only way of transportation was the oxwagons:
For weeks they had to travel on bumpy roads (Bay Pad) from the coast to the inland. One of these main roads (Bay Pad) passed the plains beneath the Annykurumassib ('Birdsleepingmountain'). Here the oxwagon stopped while the oxen where driven down to the Achas Fountain (Wilson's Fountain).

Todays name (Hottentottenkirche) the mountain obtained when in August 1893 Witbooi (Hottentots chieftain) and his warriors started a surprise attack against the colonial supply structure. From this mountain which rises majestically out of the plains, you have a marvellous view over the Bay Pad far into the Namib Desert. Nearby a convoy of 20 wagons were attacked and burned. Only three drivers managed to survive

Another group of four fully loaded waggons didn't had that luck. Only a young guy was spared to tell what had happened to the rest.