In Patagonia

Following a story from the Beeb about the home of one of the founders of the Welsh Colony in Patagonia, this set me thinking: -

The Welsh settlement in Argentina began in the 19th century. There is now an important Welsh-speaking colony in the province of Chubut, in Argentine Patagonia (In Welsh: - Y Wladfa).

The permanent European settlement of the Chubut Valley and surrounding areas began on July 27, 1865 when 153 Welsh settlers arrived aboard the ship Mimosa, with the aim of setting up a Welsh-speaking colony away from the influence of English. The Argentine government, under the direction of Interior Minister Guillermo Rawson, had agreed to give them 100 square miles (260 km²) of land along the Chubut River in exchange for settling the land of the still-unconquered Patagonia for Argentina.

Their inspiration had been Professor Michael D. Jones, a nationalist non-conformist preacher based in Bala who had called for a new "little Wales beyond Wales". He recruited settlers and provided financing. Australia, New Zealand and even Palestine were considered, but Patagonia was chosen for its isolation and the Argentines' apparently generous offer. Two prospectors, Lewis Jones (after whom Trelew was named) and Sir Love Jones-Parry of Madryn (whose estate in Wales gave its name to Puerto Madryn), were sent to oversee the site and they duly declared it suitably remote and desolate.

The Mimosa settlers included tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, brickmakers, and miners. There were few farmers, which was rather unfortunate particularly when they discovered that the attractions of the area had been rather oversold and they had landed in an arid semi-desert with little food. They had been told that the area was like lowland Wales. At the coast there was little drinking water and the group embarked on a walk across the parched plain with a single wheelbarrow to carry their belongings. Some died and a baby was born on the march, called Mary. John Williams was the only colonist with any form of rudimentary medical skill. They reached the Chubut River and settled in the area of Gaiman, suffering several years of drought and famine.

After some difficult early years of suspicion and a small amount of violence, the local Tehuelche people established cordial relationships with the Welsh and helped the settlement survive the early food shortages. The settlers, directed by Aaron Jenkins, soon established Argentina's first irrigation system based on the river Chubut (in Welsh, Afon Camwy or swirling river), irrigating an area 3 or 4 miles (5 or 6 km) to each side of the 50 mile (80 km) long stretch of river and creating Argentina's most fertile wheatlands, now covering an area of 500,000 acres (2,000 km²). In the 1880s a railway was built along the valley to facilitate the movement of wheat to the port of Puerto Madryn (originally Porth Madryn) on the Golfo Nuevo on the southern side of Península Valdés, now a well-known spot for tourists to see marine mammals.

Serious damage caused by floods in the 1890s and 1900s, together with the imposition of conscription by the Argentine government and a lack of unclaimed farmable land caused some of the Welsh settlers to leave for Canada, eventually resettling in the Winnipeg area, but by the end of the 19th century there were some 4,000 people of Welsh descent living in Chubut. They spread further along the Chubut river and into the foothills of the Andes as far as Trevelin. The last substantial immigration from Wales took place shortly before the First World War. In time the colony proved remarkably successful. As well as the irrigation system, the creation of a Co-operative Society was crucial. The Society traded on the settlers' behalf in Buenos Aires and acted as a bank with 14 branches. The strong chapel-based society was also important, with an emphasis on mutual help and support, social activities and insurance schemes. However, the Co-operative Society collapsed in the Great Depression of the 1930s and many lost their savings.

The Welsh have left their mark on the landscape, with windmills and chapels across the province, including the distinctive wood and corrugated zinc Capilla Salem and Trelew's Salon San David, an attempt to reproduce St David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire. Many settlements along the valley bear Welsh names. Over the years use of the Welsh language has declined, although there is still contact with Wales, from where teachers are sent to assist in keeping the language alive, and there is some social cachet in knowing the language — even among people who are not of Welsh ancestry. There are still important cultural activities, including chapel, poetry and Welsh teas served in teahouses alongside the river in Gaiman and Dolavon.

Principal settlements in the area are Puerto Madryn, Trevelin (=Milltown), Rawson (after the Argentine Interior Minister at the time of the Mimosa), Trelew (=Lewistown, after Lewis Jones, one of the founders), and Gaiman.

thanks to : - the wiki of Patagonia , the wiki of Chubut Province , the wiki of Y Wladfa

for an alternative, (sometimes made up) story of Patagonia, you could try : -

Bruce Chatwin's 'In Patagonia'