Scattered throughout Argentina are street signs with the names of military generals and political leaders, but one stands out as an almost unknown civilian hero … Francisco P. Moreno. A self-taught scientist, naturalist, anthropologist, geologist, and unrecognized defender of the land. And also, the father of the best trout fishing destination in the world.
Francisco lived in the nineteenth century, and even 100 years later, is still ahead of his time. His only desire was to see his country progress and thrive.
As an avid fisherman, it’s not lost on me that he was the visionary who conceived of introducing a variety of trout species into the clear waters of Patagonia, and creating a natural resource that would exist far beyond his own years.
First, some perspective about Patagonia.
The Andes mountain range serves as the natural division between Argentina and Chile, forming a border line of 5,308 km (3,298 mi). It seems logical enough now, in particular when looking at a satellite photo of the region, but 130 years ago it was a very different prospect. The nations that were taking shape in South America had almost no knowledge of the terrain they were claiming, nor of the people who occupied this vast swath of land.
Many of our guests, as we travel along the picturesque 7 Lakes Route between San Martin de los Andes and Villa la Angostura for fishing or other touristic adventures, have been surprised when we mention that we have “just crossed the continental divide.” Most expect that we should now be within the boundaries of Chile, but a bit of luck and the efforts of Francisco Moreno are responsible.
Argentina won its freedom from Spain in 1816. Since then, we have suffered through several wars and conflicts in order to resolve the border disputes with neighboring countries. During the late 1800s the southwest Patagonian boundary was still in discussion with Chile, and it was attempting to claim all of Patagonia across to the Atlantic Ocean.
At this time, very few Argentines lived in the region and it was largely under the control of native tribes. Chile already had forts and established villages on the west side of the Andes Mountains, and a superior navy and firepower than Argentina, which allowed them to easily defend the Pacific and Atlantic coasts in time of war.
The opportunity for Argentina to negotiate a more peaceful resolution came when Chile declared war on their northern neighbor, Bolivia (1879-1884), and Peru later joined that conflict as an ally of Bolivia. Negotiating while Chile was expending all of its resources in a war to the north gave Argentina the advantage.
A few weeks after the beginning of the conflict between Chile and Bolivia, Francisco Moreno was commissioned by the Argentinian government to start another exploratory trip, to collect more field information about Patagonia and be better prepared for negotiations. He had previously completed two other expeditions along the disputed territories.
In 1881, Argentina and Chile signed an international treaty agreeing on, “the Andes Mountains as the natural division between nations, and the continental divide along the Andes”. This agreement was negotiated without the presence of Moreno (he was in Europe). With his knowledge of the territory he would have never approve the use of such vague terms in the treaty. There were a number of conflict areas where valleys of the continental divide were far away from the primary mountain range (areas to the east of the Andes draining to the Pacific ocean going through the mountains).
Argentina decided that the best solution would be to trace the borderline exclusively following the highest points of the Andes, while Chile preferred to use the continental divide. Both countries resolved to seek an arbitrator, and agreed on a tribunal run by the British Crown. Each country had to prepare a detailed thesis to defend their positions and present a reasonable argument, and Francisco Moreno was selected to represent Argentina.
Why was Moreno selected for such a critical role?
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Francisco at an early age was already passionate about and devoting his life to the study of nature. He and his brother began collecting fossils and prehistoric relics that would become the foundation for a museum, which evolved into one of the most important in all of South America. Today it is called “Museo de la Plata”, and is part of the prestigious National University of La Plata, and Francisco Moreno was the founder and first director.
He was also a devoted follower of the works of Charles Darwin, who fifty years earlier had ventured across the continent to Patagonia on a scientific expedition, and later in life even developed a professional friendship with Darwin’s son.
Between 1875 and 1879 Moreno made three exploratory trips from the Atlantic to the Andes, to study and collect information. He collected field information, made functional maps for the government, and searched for a pass through the Andes to the Pacific ocean as Lewis and Clark had done seventy years before in North America. Throughout these explorations, he continued with his passion for anthropology and paleontology, collecting fossils and specimens for the museum.
In 1875 Moreno made his first expedition from the Atlantic coast to explore the Negro and Limay river systems to collect anthropological and geological samples, and also with the intention of establishing a relationship with the natives in the region. He hoped to study the natives and how they lived, yet unspoiled by civilization, fearing that their way of life would soon disappear.
Just getting to the Negro River (very close to the North boundary of Patagonia, and 500 miles from Buenos Aires), was an odyssey. The railroad from Buenos Aires only reached 125 miles south, then it was horses and wagons for the remainder through dangerous and hostile terrain. Indian raids were always a possibility, though the Argentine Army was trying to control them. After reaching Patagonia the situation was different, because the Army was not there yet, but the tribes were aware of what the government was doing. Later in 1879-1880, the army arrived in force in what became known as the “Desert Campaign.”
Moreno’s goal was to reach Lake Nahuel Huapi (where the town of Bariloche now lives on the southern shore), then find a pass to Chile through the Andes Mountains. He knew there was one, because ten years earlier in 1862, Guilllermo Cox had successfully reached the lake coming from the opposite side, from Chile.
Not far from the lake, near the confluence of the Collon Cura and Caleufu rivers, he met with Sayhueque, the chief of the tribe that controlled this region, and the pass to Chile, and asked permission to reach the lake and then find the pass through the Andes. Sayhueque agreed, but the tribe’s elders were wary, given what the Argentine government had been doing up north with other tribes, so they refused to allow Moreno to travel to the lake alone, or to search for the pass across the divide.
Moreno was permitted to go, escorted by the natives, and at the first sight the massive Nahuel Huapi Lake with the colossal snow-capped peaks of the Andes in the background, his childhood dream was fulfilled. He was able to explore the south bank, reaching the dense forest and discovering what appeared to be magnificent fiords. Beyond his amazement in the landscape, his mind was also imagining the progress the nation could make here, the construction of a railroad connecting the two oceans, developing new settlements and towns, industries and the use of this natural resource rich area.
By the end of the following year, he and his group left Buenos Aires on a sailing ship to the Santa Cruz river estuary (over 700 miles South from the prior trip). This time, Moreno was assigned by the Argentinian government to explore the unknown territory up to the headwaters of the river where they began in the Andes. They had concerns that Chile was trying to claim the territory to the east of the mountain range, so their commission also included cartographers and geologists to map and document the area.
Following in the footsteps of Darwin and Fritz Roy (who attempted the same route in 1834 but failed to reach the lake), the exhausting journey upstream on the Santa Cruz river took over a month and a half, until reaching its origin at the foothills of the Andes (240 mi). They made it by drawing wooden rafts upriver with horses and men over fast moving waters. Once he reached the lake, he named it “Lago Argentino”. They explored the area, finding and naming new lakes while collecting all the necessary data.
to be continued....
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