Chubut River Valley - Culture and History
Gaiman
Gaiman was founded in 1874 and its municipal government was formed in 1885 with authority over the whole valley, the first in the territory of Chubut. For a number of years formal documents were produced in both Welsh and Spanish. The name Gaiman in the native Tehuelche language means ‘sharpening stone’ or ‘sharp stone’. Dafydd Roberts built Gaiman’s first house in 1874.
The principal attraction of the town today is its Welshness and the characters that live there. There will be plenty of opportunities to have a chat with descendants of the original Welsh colonisers - Welsh or Spanish of course! Other important attractions are the Bethel chapels, the historical museum situated in the old railway station, the first house, and Colegio Camwy, the first secondary school in the whole of Patagonia. There are also numerous Welsh teahouses, the old railway tunnel, the weird and wonderful El Desafío theme park, the Richard Berwyn library, the centenary monument, and Huw Puw’s old hotel that today houses a school of music. The river Río Chubut also runs through the town.
Trelew
The city of Trelew, with a population of approximately 100,000, is one of the most important commercial centres in Patagonia. The city was named after Lewis Jones, one of the founders of the Welsh colony in Patagonia. By 1886, a railway was laid down that connected the agricultural area in the Chubut valley with Bahía Nueva, the principal port of the colony. Trelew grew around the Chubut valley end of the railway.
The main Welsh attractions of the city are Tabernacl chapel, Saint David’s Hall in which the Saint David’s Society have a public office, the Pueblo de Luis historical museum in the old railway buildings, and a monument to Lewis Jones. Other attractions of note are the MEF Palaeontological Museum, the bar at the Hotel Touring Club, and the old mill El Viejo Molino.
Rawson
In 1865, the Welsh colonisers settled in an old fort on the banks of the river Chubut. Henry Libanus Jones, a Welsh livestock merchant, had raised the fort some years before. The Welsh colonisers referred to the old fort as “Caer Antur”. In September 1865, a military contingent under the command of Coronel Julián Murga arrived from Carmen del Patagones, some 450 kilometres (280 miles) to the north. He officially founded the settlement on the 15th of September 1865 and named it Rawson. The settlement was named after Guillermo Rawson, the Home Secretary of the time with whom Lewis Jones and Love Parry-Jones, Baron of Madryn, had negotiated in 1863.
The main attractions in Rawson, the capital city of the province of Chubut, are Berwyn chapel, the Silesian historical museum, the ruins of “Plas Hedd” - Lewis Jones’ former home, the port of Puerto Rawson, Playa Unión beach, and boat tours to see Commerson dolphins.
Canals and Chapels, Chubut River Valley
This excursion concentrates on the rural areas of the lower Chubut valley. There is no fixed format to the tour and the only constraint is on how much time you desire to spend wandering around the valley. During the excursion, you will see how the farmers prepare and irrigate their land to ensure a secure and measured flow of water depending on the use that is made of the land. You will enjoy a lot of fresh air and magnificent views of the valley.
While travelling though the valley it will be possible to visit the areas of Tair Helygen, Glyn Du, Treorci, Bryn Crwn, Bethesda, Ebenezer, Tir Halen, Lle Cul, Bryn Gwyn, Drofa Dulog, Pont Hendre and Moriah. It will be possible to visit a number of the 16 Welsh chapels, the villages of Dolavon and 28 de Julio, Tir Halen historical museum, graveyards with Welsh slate headstones, and possibly a chance meeting with one or two Welsh descendants.
Moriah Chapel, Trelew
Moriah chapel is located on the outskirts of Trelew next to the river Chubut. The chapel, the third in the colony, was built in 1880 and the Reverend Abraham Matthews was its first minister. Moriah chapel, built on land donated by Rhydderch Hughes, was also used as a school during its early years.
Unique amongst the Welsh chapels in Chubut, Moriah is the only chapel that has an adjacent graveyard. In this graveyard, surrounded by Welsh slate, rest many of the first colonisers including Lewis Jones and Abraham Matthews. On the chapel lands, there are monuments to Abraham Matthews and Edwin Cynrig Roberts. The chapel has been registered as a Provincial Historical Monument by the government of Chubut.
Bod Iwan Farm, Bryn Crwn, Chubut River Valley
A visit to Bod Iwan, a Welsh farm in Bryn Gwyn near Gaiman. Bod Iwan has a traditional and original colonial clay brick farmhouse with mud-plastered walls. The farmhouse was built in 1910 for the family of Llwyd ap Iwan following the tragedy of his death. Llwyd ap Iwan, Michael D Jones’ son, was killed by two North American bandits in Nant y Pysgod, the Andes, in 1909.
In Bod Iwan, you will be guided by members of the present residents, the Williams family, and will learn about the family history and the importance of irrigation and the canal system towards the success of the colony. The farmhouse has been preserved in its original form and furnished with items of the period. An asado or Welsh tea can be arranged.
