They were able to buy access to the land between the Vaal and Vet rivers – virtually the entire northern part of what is now the Free State – from the local Bataung Chief, Makwana,[1] in 1836, by promising protection from rival tribes and offering 42 head of cattle.

In 1841 a vote was held, with Andries Pretorius's group winning and electing to establish the town in its current position, on what was then the farm Waaifontein ("windy spring"), owned by Jacobus de Beer.

The monument is built near the site of the birth-house of Martinus Theunis Steyn, who was president of the Boer Republic of the Orange Free State.

132 adults and 355 children died in the camp during the war due to a combination of malnutrition and infectious disease, exacerbated by the fact that they were kept in tents which did not offer protection from winter conditions.

Koos de la Rey, a famous commander of the Boer commandos, was born near Winburg on a farm called Doornfontein.

[citation needed] The first President of the Republic of South Africa, when it gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1961, was Charles Robberts Swart, who was born and went to school in Winburg.

[citation needed] The communities in Winburg, as in most South African towns, still lead segregated lives, a remnant of apartheid days.