Rawson, Chubut
Encyclopedia
Rawson is the capital of the Argentine
province
of Chubut
, in Patagonia
. It has about 26,000 inhabitants, and it is the head town of the Rawson Department
, which has 122,000 inhabitants (figures as per the ). Even though it is the provincial capital, its population is smaller than that of other cities in Chubut: Comodoro Rivadavia
, Trelew
, Puerto Madryn
and Esquel
. Rawson became the provincial capital in 1957, when Chubut was constituted as a province.
Rawson is located on National Route 3
, about 1,360 kilometres south of Buenos Aires
, some 20 kilometres from both Trelew
and it is served by the Almirante Marco Andrés Zar Airport
in Trelew. It is crossed by the Chubut River
, over which the first bridge was built in 1889. Playa Unión, Rawson's resort beach, is 6 km from the city centre.
The city has a fishing port, Puerto Rawson, on the Atlantic
coast, 5 km down the river. Provincial administration and the port are the main economical activities in the city.
There are two small museums in Rawson. The City Museum has historical objects and old photographs. The Don Bosco Museum has a collection of local history and wildlife, including artefacts from the Welsh community. The General San Martín Zoo and Park covers 6 hectares of the shore of the Chubut River.
Rawson's climate is dry, with temperatures in the range of 0 °C to 15 °C in winter, and 10 °C to 20 °C in spring and autumn, with peaks of up to 38 °C in summer.
explorer and cattle dealer who had been living in Buenos Aires since 1810. In 1854 he founded a forward post for expeditions of hunting and collection of wild cattle at the border of Chubut river.
These precarious constructions were abandoned soon after, but they were found and taken advantage of by the first Welsh settlers who disembarked from the clipper
"Mimosa
" in Puerto Madryn
at July 28, 1865. Immediately they explored towards the south in search of fresh water, until they came to the river.
Mimosa's settlers called the fort "Caer Antur" (Welsh=Adventure Fort) or "Yr Hen Amddiffinfa" (Welsh=the old bunker, or old bunker). One of the settlers of the Mimosa, Abraham Matthews, describes the constructions like this: "The place that we denominated Yr Hen Amddiffinfa was a portion of land surrounded by a pit measuring sixty to one hundred yards in diameter. (….) These men had excavated the pit and thrown the soil in, so that when raised to the tide the pit is filled of water, and thus more insurances felt, because according to it was said, the Indians of the Patagonia
never crossed the water to attack".
Despite the numerous studies made, the location of the fort in relation to the modern city does not exist today, since the river has changed course since then, and no remains of the fort can be found today.
. It was named after Dr. Guillermo Rawson
, the Argentine Interior Minister of the time, who supported the Welsh settlement in Argentina
.
Substantial construction of government buildings in the 1970s resulted in the town being nicknamed "The little Brasilia
of Patagonia". It was originally known as Trerawson, Welsh for "Rawson's town", a name it still retains among Welsh speakers and some older residents.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
province
Provinces of Argentina
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
of Chubut
Chubut Province
Chubut a province in the southern part of Argentina situated between the 42nd parallel south and the 46th parallel south , the Andes range separating Argentina from Chile, and the Atlantic ocean...
, in Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
. It has about 26,000 inhabitants, and it is the head town of the Rawson Department
Rawson Department, Chubut
Rawson Department is a department of Chubut Province in Argentina.The provincial subdivision has a population of about 115,829 inhabitants in an area of 3,922 km², and its capital city is Rawson, which is located around 1,404 km from Capital Federal....
, which has 122,000 inhabitants (figures as per the ). Even though it is the provincial capital, its population is smaller than that of other cities in Chubut: Comodoro Rivadavia
Comodoro Rivadavia
Comodoro Rivadavia is a city in the Patagonian province of Chubut in southern Argentina, located on the San Jorge Gulf, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of the Chenque Hill. Comodoro Rivadavia is the most important city of the San Jorge Basin....
, Trelew
Trelew
-References:La Pasión según Trelew, Espejo de la Argentina, 1997, Editorial Planeta Argentina S.A.I.C.; Third Edition: April 2000, Buenos Aires, ISBN 950-742-859-3-External links:* * * *...
, Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn is a city in the province of Chubut in the Argentine Patagonia. It is the head town of the Viedma Department, and has about 57,571 inhabitants according to the last census in 2001....
and Esquel
Esquel
According to the , the Esquel district had about 28,000 inhabitants, with one of the highest rates of growth in the province, mainly as result of the immigration of people from Buenos Aires, but also from other provinces. It has wide cement streets with sidewalks, and is clean and well maintained...
. Rawson became the provincial capital in 1957, when Chubut was constituted as a province.
Rawson is located on National Route 3
National Route 3 (Argentina)
Ruta Nacional 3 is an Argentine highway, stretching from the eastern side of the country in Buenos Aires, crossing the provinces of Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Chubut Province, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego...
, about 1,360 kilometres south of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, some 20 kilometres from both Trelew
Trelew
-References:La Pasión según Trelew, Espejo de la Argentina, 1997, Editorial Planeta Argentina S.A.I.C.; Third Edition: April 2000, Buenos Aires, ISBN 950-742-859-3-External links:* * * *...
and it is served by the Almirante Marco Andrés Zar Airport
Almirante Marco Andrés Zar Airport
Almirante Marcos A. Zar Airport is an airport in Chubut Province, Argentina, named after the Argentine Navy Admiral and naval aviator Marcos Andrés Zar. The airport serves the cities of Trelew and Rawson...
in Trelew. It is crossed by the Chubut River
Chubut River
The Chubut River is located in the Patagonia region of southern Argentina. Its name comes from the Tehuelche word chupat, which means "transparent". The Argentine Chubut Province, through which the river flows, is named after it...
, over which the first bridge was built in 1889. Playa Unión, Rawson's resort beach, is 6 km from the city centre.
The city has a fishing port, Puerto Rawson, on the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
coast, 5 km down the river. Provincial administration and the port are the main economical activities in the city.
There are two small museums in Rawson. The City Museum has historical objects and old photographs. The Don Bosco Museum has a collection of local history and wildlife, including artefacts from the Welsh community. The General San Martín Zoo and Park covers 6 hectares of the shore of the Chubut River.
Rawson's climate is dry, with temperatures in the range of 0 °C to 15 °C in winter, and 10 °C to 20 °C in spring and autumn, with peaks of up to 38 °C in summer.
First settlement
The first settlement in the area of Rawson was founded by Henry Libanus Jones, a WelshWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
explorer and cattle dealer who had been living in Buenos Aires since 1810. In 1854 he founded a forward post for expeditions of hunting and collection of wild cattle at the border of Chubut river.
These precarious constructions were abandoned soon after, but they were found and taken advantage of by the first Welsh settlers who disembarked from the clipper
Clipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area...
"Mimosa
Mimosa (ship)
The Mimosa was a clipper ship best known for carrying the first Welsh emigrants to South America in 1865.-Voyage to Patagonia:By the time Mimosa made the voyage she was already past her prime, having been built in 1853 at Hall's shipyard in Aberdeen. She had not been designed to carry passengers,...
" in Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn is a city in the province of Chubut in the Argentine Patagonia. It is the head town of the Viedma Department, and has about 57,571 inhabitants according to the last census in 2001....
at July 28, 1865. Immediately they explored towards the south in search of fresh water, until they came to the river.
Mimosa's settlers called the fort "Caer Antur" (Welsh=Adventure Fort) or "Yr Hen Amddiffinfa" (Welsh=the old bunker, or old bunker). One of the settlers of the Mimosa, Abraham Matthews, describes the constructions like this: "The place that we denominated Yr Hen Amddiffinfa was a portion of land surrounded by a pit measuring sixty to one hundred yards in diameter. (….) These men had excavated the pit and thrown the soil in, so that when raised to the tide the pit is filled of water, and thus more insurances felt, because according to it was said, the Indians of the Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
never crossed the water to attack".
Despite the numerous studies made, the location of the fort in relation to the modern city does not exist today, since the river has changed course since then, and no remains of the fort can be found today.
The town
The town was officially founded on September 15, 1865, by Colonel Julián Murga, and settled by newly arrived immigrants from WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It was named after Dr. Guillermo Rawson
Guillermo Rawson
Dr. Guillermo Rawson was a medical doctor and politician in nineteenth-century Argentina. As Interior Minister in 1862 he met Captain Love Jones-Parry and Lewis Jones who were on their way to Patagonia to investigate whether it was suitable for the creation of a Welsh settlement there...
, the Argentine Interior Minister of the time, who supported the Welsh settlement in Argentina
Welsh settlement in Argentina
Y Wladfa refers to the Welsh settlement in Argentina, which began in 1865 and occurred mainly along the coast of Chubut Province in the far southern region of Patagonia...
.
Substantial construction of government buildings in the 1970s resulted in the town being nicknamed "The little Brasilia
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
of Patagonia". It was originally known as Trerawson, Welsh for "Rawson's town", a name it still retains among Welsh speakers and some older residents.