I have just finished an interactive Google Map with the campsites mentioned by Musters during his long journey from Pavón Island on the Santa Cruz River in Southern Patagonia, and Carmen de Patagones on the Negro River, in Buenos Aires province, in Northern Patagonia.
It includes text from Musters book (online)
And I used the maps in this book (big one) and (small one) as references.
I read an interesting book (Patagonia - Following in the footsteps of Musters, by Álvaro de Brito and Marlis Kuhlmann) about Muster's journey. It helped confirm several locations, though I disagree with several campsite locations and chose other spots.
I will, at a later date, add his first leg, from Punta Arenas, Chile, to the Santa Cruz River.
Some locations are approximate, Musters did not provide latitude or longitude of his campsites, and lakes, springs, gullies, crags, hills and dry rivers are found all across Patagonia. His map isn't very clear either. So, it is work ongoing! Suggestions are welcome.
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Hi, great work.
ReplyDeleteI would locate the Yolke point a few km down the river. A bit before the May River and Chalia meet. He describes it as a peninsula, in modern map it looks like. Also, right in front (north direction) there is the River Aviles, if you go up there, you find the exact pampa that he describes in straight line to the 'lookout hill" (Estancia El Cantao), so the point 'Yaiken-kaimak" is half way the river and the 'lookout hill', the terrain nowadays is like he described "Consequently on October 9, having rested our jaded horses, which were rapidly improving in condition, from grazing on the young green grass now springing abundantly in all the valleys, we crossed a barren, clayey pampa, interspersed with bogs and marshes at intervals, and on the 10th arrived at a small range of hills, running east and west, under one of which the toldos were pitched, near to another of those beautiful circular springs which frequently occur in Patagonia"
I haven't read the de Brito and Kuhlmann book yet, but I did read the Spanish translated book of Musters a couple of times and I am reading/comparing with the English, 2nd ed. 1873, there are quite a few differences. I also read the book of Antonio Beorchia Nigris that did the route in 2000/2001.
Hi, great work with the map.
ReplyDeleteI would locate the Yolke point a few km down the river. A bit before the May River and Chalia meet. He describes it as a peninsula, in modern map it looks like. Also, right in front (north direction) there is the River Aviles, if you go up there, you find the exact pampa that he describes in straight line to the 'lookout hill" (Estancia El Cantao), so the point 'Yaiken-kaimak" is half way the river and the 'lookout hill', the terrain nowadays is like he described "Consequently on October 9, having rested our jaded horses, which were rapidly improving in condition, from grazing on the young green grass now springing abundantly in all the valleys, we crossed a barren, clayey pampa, interspersed with bogs and marshes at intervals, and on the 10th arrived at a small range of hills, running east and west, under one of which the toldos were pitched, near to another of those beautiful circular springs which frequently occur in Patagonia"
I haven't read the de Brito and Kuhlmann book yet, but I did read the Spanish translated book of Musters a couple of times and I am reading/comparing with the English, 2nd ed. 1873, there are quite a few differences. I also read the book of Antonio Beorchia Nigris that did the route in 2000/2001.
Thanks for sharing your map
Hi, thank you for your comments. I appreciate your suggestions. I read Musters in English and Spanish, and agree with you. Some things are "lost in translation". I will review the map, which of course is tentative and approximate. I tried to imagine the route based on what I saw in Google maps, but an on-the-ground survey would be far better! You seem to know the local spots, so I will take your word for it. The native trail (rastrillada) should still be visible (I hope), and must have been used even when they were foot Indians. These "paradores" should still be there, with interesting archaeological artifacts for those interested in studying them.
DeleteI moved the Yolke camp to the peninsula, but I am not quite sure about the next campground. Musters wrote about the plain between Yolke and that encampment as follows: " ...running east and west, under one of which the toldos were pitched, near to another of those beautiful circular springs which frequently occur in Patagonia; from the centre of the smooth white sand which formed the bottom, the water bubbled up like liquid crystal, and silvery fishes could be seen darting about in the circular basin. The Indians delight in laving their hands and feet in the springs, and will sit there for a long time admiring the beauty of these ‘eyes of the desert.’ As, on our arrival, the women had not yet completed the domestic arrangements, after throwing the spoils of the chase off our saddles, a party of us ascended an adjacent hill to have a look round. " So the hill seems to be right beside the small pond they camped by, now occupied by the buildings of an "estancia".
DeleteHi, sorry that I sent it twice, I was unsure the first time, I didn't read the confirmation that it was sent.
ReplyDeleteThe next camp is like 1km to the east where you marked the "lookout hill"
https://maps.app.goo.gl/oScPfkj3e2R7EEbH6
The rastrillada still exists, half way between the upper part fo Rio Aviles and the "lookout hill". I've seen like 300 meters of it, someone told me that it was an old path for the "chatas", we stopped using "Chatas" around 1940, what would be the chances that the chatas wouldn't use an existing rastrillada back then?
That path goes in the straight line to the "lookout hill" (Estancia El Cantao), that section is so muddy and I was told that it was abandoned and they start using more the the path that is now the route 38 that you see in the maps a few kilometers to the west and goes to El Cantao.
I marked two points, you can connect them and see the path, it is clearly visible in the map. It is not used any more, it is closed by the fences of a few estancias: https://maps.app.goo.gl/qHC1a8NsT53UA6qR8 and https://maps.app.goo.gl/jB4ngRTgcC3DQAYv6, you can also explore the path in both directions from those points because it is longer than that.
Have fun!
Thank you for your comment and the two waymarkers that show the course of the ancient rastrillada. I have always been fascinated by roads, especially the "old" ones. Rastrilladas (known as "traces" in English) are the faded remains of ancestral routes followed by the pedestrian Native Americans across the continent. They were the best route, with stops along the way, with water, wood, shelter and resources (white clay, ochre, flint, game). When they adopted the horse, they continued to use these routes, and even nowadays modern highways more or less follow their courses. Amazing. I have incorporated a marker showing the rastrillada.
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