Between 1883 and 1906, Tierra del Fuego survived the gold rush , which attracted a large number of Chileans, Argentines and Europeans, including a large number of Dalmatians , into the archipelago. The gold rush led to the formation of the first cities in the archipelago and contributed to the economic development of Punta Arenas . After the gold rush, most prospectors left the archipelago, while the remaining settlers took up sheep farming and fishing. The indigenous Selkam population declined sharply during the gold rush.
| Gold Rush in Tierra del Fuego | |
|---|---|
 1889 Tierra del Fuego gold coin issued by Julius Popper | |
| date | 1883-1906 |
| start date | |
| expiration date | |
| A place | Tierra del Fuego , Chile |
| Cause | Gold rush began after a French Arctic steamer ran aground on the northern coast of Cape Dev, and an expedition sent to rescue his team discovered gold in Zanja a Pique |
| Members | Chilean miners Argentine miners European miners * Dalmatian miners from Europe (most) |
| Result | The influx of miners led to the formation of the first cities in the archipelago and spurred the economic growth of Punta Arenas and quickly destroyed the indigenous Selkam population during the fever |
Content
First Discoveries
In 1879, an expedition under the command of Chilean Navy officer Ramon Serrano Montaner discovered gold in some currents of western Tierra del Fuego [1] [2] . However, the gold rush started only in 1884. This year, the French Arctic steamer ran aground on the northern coast of Cape Dev . Cape Virgenes [1] . An expedition sent to rescue him found gold in a place called "Zanja a Pique" [1] . Then the news from Punta Arenas reached Buenos Aires [1] .
Julius Popper Fever and Expedition
In Buenos Aires, the press described gold finds, comparing them to gold rushes in and California [1] . In this city, many companies were created to extract gold [1] . Mining engineer Julio Popper was hired by one of these companies in Buenos Aires. After that, Popper began to hire Dalmatians from a large number of immigrants who lived in those years in Buenos Aires [1] . With these workers, Popper set out to develop locations in El Paramo in San Sebastian Bay [1] . Another camp was established in Slogget Bay on the south coast of Isla Grande [1] .
The gold rush reached the Chilean islands south of the Beagle Channel , and by 1893 more than a thousand people lived here, mainly Dalmatians. However, by 1894, gold mining on these islands began to decline, and deposits began to gradually deplete [1] [3] . Some enterprises established in the 1900s to extract gold on the islands south of the Beagle Channel achieved modest results [3] .
Legacy
During his work on Tierra del Fuego, Popper was involved in the killing of indigenous Selkams, which later became known as the Selknam genocide [4] [5] .
Prospectors, sheep farmers and “even the police” were seen in attacks on Native American settlements in the middle of the island in order to capture their women [2] . This even led to a shortage of women among the fireman tribes [2] . The capture and control of women on the main island exacerbated conflicts between rival groups [2] . It even happened that between men transactions were made with the sale of women [2] . By 1894, Porvenir consisted of five houses, of which two were liquor stores, and the third was a brothel [2] .
Involved in the gold rush, the Dalmatians gradually ceased gold mining to either return to Dalmatia or Buenos Aires, or settle in Punta Arenas [1] . The gold rush led to an increase in the geography of poorly studied islands south of the Beagle Channel and linked them to Punta Arenas [3] . Gold mined at Isla Grande usually left this territory, not particularly improving the economy of the southern end of South America, but as for gold mined on the islands south of the Beagle Channel, most of it reached Punta Arenas and spurred its economic growth [3 ] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Martinic Beros, Mateo. Crónica de las Tierras del Canal Beagle . 1973. Editorial Francisco de Aguirre SA pp. 55–65
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bascopé Julio, Joaquín. Sentidos Coloniales I. El Oro y la Vida Salvaje en Tierra del Fuego, 1880–1914 . Magallania
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Martinic Beros, Mateo. Crónica de las Tierras del Canal Beagle . 1973. Editorial Francisco de Aguirre SA pp. 65–75
- ↑ Odone, C. and M. Palma, 'La muerte exhibida fotografias de Julius Popper en Tierra del Fuego', in Mason and Odone, eds, 12 miradas. Culturas de Patagonia: 12 Miradas: Ensayos sobre los pueblos patagonicos', Cited in Mason, Peter. 2001. The lives of images. p. 153
- ↑ Ray, Leslie. 2007. "Language of the land: the Mapuche in Argentina and Chile." p. 80