After living about 6000 years in these lands, its inhabitants began their first encounters with European expeditionary during the XVI century. Hernando de Magallanes and his crew, were the first Europeans that arrived at Ushuaia's coasts, during the very well know trip of circumnavigation of the globe in 1520. Later Fitz Roy Captain arrived at the end of the XVIII century. The Anglican missionary Stirling, arrived in Ushuaia at the beginning of 1869, with the mission of evangelizing the place's aboriginals. In 1871, the Anglican Mission settles there, and then in 1884 a Sub-prefecture belonging to the Expeditionary Division of the South Atlantic, in charge of Augusto Lasserre Commodore, settled there too. By that time only a few pioneers settled there, that is why the national government decided to install the Tierra del Fuego's Recurrent Prison and Jail. It was inaugurated in 1911. In 1882, Roca president, presented the project to install a penal colony to the south of the Republic, with the purpose of creating population's centers, besides solving the existent penitentiary problem.

In 1884, when the sub-prefecture installed, the national flag was hoisted for the first time in the area. October 12th the same year, was officially declared as the birth date of the capital city. San Juan de Salvamento, a military prison in de los Estados Island, was installed there, but later it moved to Golondrina Bay, in the city's west area. The convicts' work allowed the city to have electric light from its beginnings. Like wise, the jetty, the post office and the beginning of the route were built. The city was supplied with the ships arrival that anchored in its port once a month.

In 1947, Ushuaia had 2.182 inhabitants, population that later on was increased with the Croatian, Italian, Spanish, lebaneses, etc immigrants' arrival By that time, the National government, decided to close the jail, and its installments were got by the Navy Ministry to create in 1950 the Base Naval Ushuaia Almirante Berisso. With the sanction of the Industrial Promotion Law in the 70ths decade, the city received a new impulse in its development.

It was politically considered as National Territory until 1990, when it became a province. The Constituent Convention met in Ushuaia, the Provincial Constitution text was sworn on June 1st 1991.