The mountain and its surrounding areas were originally the homeland of the indigenous Chainouqua Khoi people, who inhabited a large area on either side of the Hottentots Holland mountains. Under the leadership of their Chiefs - such as Soeswa, and later "Klaas" Dorha - the Chainoqua attempted to resist the expansion of European colonists into Chainoqua territory. However the region ultimately fell under European control, and the Chainoqua were displaced from their land, which was divided into farms for European colonists.
Colonial era
The name "Groenland" was given by early European colonists to both the mountains, and to the surrounding area. Meaning "Greenland" in Dutch, it refers to the lush green vegetation of the mountain and its surrounds. The original indigenous Chainoqua names for the area's landforms are unfortunately not well recorded. The low-lying region to the south, acquired the name "Elgin", after its historic railway station. The station name in turn originally came from the name of a young locally-born girl, Elgine Herold, who was tragically killed by snake-bite in the 1800s near the spot where the current station stands. The grieving father and community named the whole area in her memory, and through a series of events, her name came to be memorialised in the name of both the station, and the whole valley. The Elgin area had formerly also held other names, such as "Koffiekraal" or sometimes as "Grietjiesgat", and was also known as "Groenland" during parts of the early Dutch and British colonial era. However these names fell out of usage.
Modern naming
By compromise, both names - Groenland and Elgin - came to be preserved. Avoiding further confusion, the term "Groenland" was kept for the high and mountainous area to the north, while the term "Elgin" remained for the low-lying valley region to the south. The mountains are located within the modern Theewaterskloof Local Municipality, in the far west of the greater Overberg District Municipality. The "Groenlandberg Conservancy" was established in 1994 in the Groenland mountains, and takes its name from the Afrikaans version of the mountain range's name. Other initiatives named after these mountains include the "Green Mountain Eco Route".
