Río Mayo owes its name to Mr. Gregorio Mayo, lieutenant of Colonel Jorge Fontana, and one of Chubut´s riflemen who went on the western territory exploration and reconnosaince campaign in 1884.
Its present population is around 3000 inhabitants, and its main economic activity is cattle breeding, being Río Mayo Capital Nacional de la Esquila (capital of shearing), and oil exploitation an outstandingly developing activity.
In 1885, there was an expedition to the Chubut river.
As narrated by John M. Thomas in his notes, a group of explorers commanded by the first governor of Chubut Territory left from Rawson city on 14th October. The expedition was formed by seven Argentinians, two Germans, an American and nineteen Welshmen.
This expedition, like the previous ones, searched for areas apt for agriculture, and it was precisely that what motivated the arrival of colonists to Sarmiento valley, as told by one of the expeditioners in his diary.
Due to these expeditions some reports about shepperding were written, namely the last expedition to the river Senguer from lake Senguer to the outlet in lake Muster, recognized in 1884 by Lieutenant Oris de Roa from the Atlantic to the west.
The Riflemen expedition recognized and chose the settlement of the colony called 16th October, today Trevelin, suggested by Fontana in honor of the date when the Senate passed the law of territories. They recognized and baptized Lake Fontana, where the river Senguer is born.
On 11th January 1886 a group formed by Gregorio Mayo and the rest of the expeditioners left in search of Franco. "From the campsite to the hills, we rode a league and a half to the south-east trying to take shortcuts to avoid the mountains. The valley is poor and the quality of the land does not justify the introduction of cattle. To the west there is a nice valley and a stream we have called Mayo, and we will call the valley Franco."
This way history has been developing from economic activities, being shepperding still important today and a part of the region's culture.
This is the reason why Rio Mayo is the National Shearing Capital, while oil exploitation is growing. |
