Did You Know?
Montague Pass, located near George in the Western Cape, is a historic mountain pass completed in 1848. It was constructed under the supervision of the civil engineer Charles Michell, who was the Surveyor-General of the Cape Colony at the time. The pass was built to improve the route between George and the interior, particularly to facilitate trade and transport across the Outeniqua Mountains. It replaced an earlier, more difficult track known as the Cradock Pass, which had been built in 1812. Montague Pass was named after John Montagu, the Colonial Secretary of the Cape Colony from 1843 to 1853, who championed road improvements in the region. The pass features impressive stonework and cuttings, and it remains a significant example of 19th-century engineering in South Africa. Today, it is part of the R62 road and is used by local traffic, though it has been largely superseded by the modern Outeniqua Pass.
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