Capital of province of Santa Cruz, is the city more populated to the south of Comodoro Rlvadavia and its population almost equals to the total of the Provincia of Tierra del Fuego.
Río Gallegos is located on the homonymous creek that first San Alfonso was baptized by the Armada of El Cano one, in January of 1526.
Regarding their current name, they are many that the theories that are managed, without none appears I eat compactly accepted. In their origin, the city distinguishes three stages:
Of 1885 at 1895 with the establishment of the national authorities and the beginning of their administrative organization, after the sanction of the Law of National Territories (1884).
Of 1895 to 1912 occupation of the field for exploitation cattle ovina
Of 1912 at 1920 the initiative of offering beneficial conditions to settle down to residents of the Islands Malvinas and south of Chile, attracted a great average pobladora, mainly to the area rural aledaña to the incipient town.
The provisioning necessity and exit of the products of the field, more the educational, commercial social requirements of nature, religious and of esparcimiento, they derived in the formation of an urban center: Río Gallegos In its beginning only had a 171 of Argentinean residents; most (28%) they were English, 22 Chilean%, 17 German% and the Spanish, French rest and of other nationalities.
The commercial item was complementary of the cattle raising, grace to capitals of Tip Arenas, where it had become strong an important group of emigrant managers. The commercial houses of Braun & Blanchard and that of José Menéndez competed during years for the supremacy of his companies until his coalition in 1908 as Anonymous Society Importadora and Exporter of the Patagonia, well-known as «The Anonymous one.
The growing mercantile activity induced the installation of banks: the first one was the Bank of Tarapacá and London (1899). in spite of these signs of progress, the aspect edilicio of Río Gallegos didn't grow in connection with similar investments: the owners of the capitals were resided in Punta Arenas and there yes they lifted luxurious residences and main houses, giving him a characteristic profile without paragon in the Patagonia. However, toward 1910, the main managers had «argentinizado» their companies, transferring the social headquarters to Buenos Aires.
A later cadastral layout and the smallest opening of trade, of supply, hotels and services were delineating the incipient city. Spaniards to Italian you resides and believe the Societies of Mutual Aids. They are also organized clubs, union organizations, customs and the Municipal Town council (1912), what allows the consolidation of the urban nucleus. Río Gallegos acquires this way characteristic own that make it different from the rural environment, base on which was populated.
At the present time, the city possesses a variety of hotels, restaurants, services, trade, banks, fuels. From and toward here they operate commercial flights that link it with cities of the north and with Tierra del Fuego. Río Gallegos is the tourist head of the traffic toward the glaciers. |
