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 Estimated reading time: 3 min. |
  Pablo Etchevers |
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In February 25, 2006, Esquel began to celebrate its one hundred years. From then on, the birthday celebrations were extended till the end of the year with a special extra ingredient. A city does not turn a hundred years old everyday. Therefore, something special had to be organized and everybody had to be included. Of course, the idea was to make all generations participate. The truth is that the city of Esquel has a very interesting proposal both for its denizens and for those who have visited this place in the last century.
In addition to the locals, who are already working on this undertaking, the initiative is aimed at tourists who visit its winter resort frequently. This winter, they should bring photographs of their first and latest trips in order to cooperate with this project which will include documents about how skiing began here and what kind of clothes and costums were in fashion in those days.
In addition to the contributions as regards ski, the project attempts to summon all those interested in the subject to participate with some kind of material referred to the history of local individual or family institutions. As well, they can contribute with documents that may set a context for part of the photographic material that is already being organized. The purpose of such an undertaking is the edition of a book called “Esquel Turns 100 Years Old”. |
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Jorge Oriola, one of the organizers in charge of the project, asserts that as a result of this project, all the schools in the city have begun to work with the youngest children on the subject of compiling ancient as well as contemporary material. This has let the children see that, in spite of their age, their parents, and especially their grandparents, have an intact recollection of a different Esquel, unknown for the children and even hard to imagine. Grandparents and even great-grandparents suddenly became real heroes to the eyes of their grandchildren as they told what ancient Esquel was like in the early XXth century, describing its landscapes, houses, muntains and, of course, its first settlers.
History goes that the first expeditions that toured the area began in 1670. They came from the Pacific Ocean across the Andes Mountain Range and were mostly led by the Jesuits. It was not until 1778 that the presence of the colonists was materialized when Viceroy Vértiz sent Juan de la Piedra and Francisco Biedma to found fortresses and colonies in the Argentinian and Chilean Patagonia.
By request of the British Immigration Society, L. Jones Parry and Luis Jones explored the southern lands and, in 1865, the Mimosa brought the first Welsh colonists to the Nuevo Gulf. They settled in the lower valley of the Chubut River. In 1891, the first families of these colonists arrived and settled in a valley called 16 de octubre, in the core of the mountain range. |
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Before the arrival of these colonists, the surroundings of Esquel were occupied by the Tehuelches, the Chulilaken and the Mapuches, who were the ancestors of some inhabitants of this region.
Taking into account the size of the 16 de Octubre Colony, Esquel chose the day on which the first telegraph began to work as a foundation date: February 25, 1906. Ever since and just like any other city, it has preserved vestiges from the past as well as modern influence.
Thus, along with the Los Alerces National Park and the La Hoya winter resort, this beautiful and picturesque city is a mediator between a marvelous scenery of forests, lakes and cascades of matchless beauty and all those who dwell in this place or come for a visit.
This proposal to integrate all generations is totally worth while. It is an attractive way of inviting everybody to recall the past so that young people give value to the first generations that made it possible for them to have this present. |
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Departamento de Cultura y Educación de Esquel
Profesor Jorge Oriola (9200) Esquel - Chubut - Argentina
Tel: +54 2945 450283
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| The material to be presented may refer to questions dealing with the origin of the people up to this date. Once the photographs have been chosen and selected, the organization and editing of the book will take place, which is estimated to be completed by the end of 2006. Afterwards, the book will be distributed free of any charge among all the city institutions and will become a reading and consultation source for all schools. Thus, once completed, it will reach the same children who began to assemble and design it. |
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