is remembered by the Randjelaagte Beacon at the top of Clarendon Place. The road then headed north-east along the boundaries of the old Witwatersrand farms Klipfontein to the north and Doornfontein to the south before peeling away through the former as it drops down from the ridge crossing the small Lemoen Spruit (Orange Grove Spruit) and into the northern valley. At the bottom of the ridge the road would pass the Lemoen Plaas a farm where travelers would rest. Gold was discovered south of the ridge in 1886 and by 1889 a hotel called the Orange Grove Hotel appeared close to the old farm and was an excursion point for the early town residents. During the Second Boer War, after the British Army captured Johannesburg, a British block-house was built alongside the road near the bottom of the ridge overlooking the valley protecting the town from the Boer forces. It was still visible in 1909. The land around this area, called Alexandra Estate would be renamed as Orange Grove in 1904 and the suburb was laid out by the African Realty Trust. In 1909 a tram line from Johannesburg would be laid down the road and would terminate in the suburb of Sydenham. The old Pretoria road obtained its existing name in 1917 when it was named after the prime minister and Boer-War general, Louis Botha. On 3 July 1917, the Federation of Ratepayers Association recommended to the City of Johannesburg that two main roads in Johannesburg be named after Louis Botha and Jan Smuts, in honour of their service to the British Empire during World War I. The council voted and Morgan Road and Pretoria Main Road became Louis Botha Avenue. Currently A largely business street, there are some problems on Louis Botha Avenue, including urban decay caused by illegal land uses, such as shebeens. In 2014, construction began on the expansion of Johannesburg's Rea Vaya bus rapid transit system to Louis Botha Avenue. References Streets and roads of Johannesburg