Hermann Eberhard
Hermann Eberhard (born February 27, 1852 in Ohlau , Silesia ; † May 30, 1908 ) was a German captain and entrepreneur. He is considered the discoverer and founder of the first settlements in West Patagonia .
Life
Hermann Eberhard joined the merchant navy in 1869. He later worked as captain for the Kosmos shipping company , on whose behalf he traveled to the Falkland Islands . In 1887 he left the shipping company to check the possibilities of settling in West Patagonia . He leased 40,000 hectares of land from the Argentine government.
In May 1892 his expedition began on the southeast coast of Chile . Finally, in August of the same year, he settled near Puerto Consuelo in the province of Última Esperanza and started a large sheep farm. In 1894 he received another 20,000 hectares of land near Río Turbio from Governor General Edelmiro Mayer .
In 1895 he found the remains of a giant sloth that had died out 10,000 years ago in the Mylodon cave near Puerto Natales . Since he also found remains of fur, the discovery was a scientific sensation. The cave is now a tourist magnet at the Torres del Paine National Park .
In 1899 he was appointed German consul in Río Gallegos ; he held this post until 1904.
On August 17, 1904, a land redistribution law was passed, destroying the possessions of the first settlers. The lands were then owned by only 30 families, mostly foreigners. They covered 3,620 km². The winter of 1904 was extremely cold with temperatures as low as −31 ° C; the settlers lost almost all of their sheep. In 1905 Eberhard traveled to Santiago de Chile to clarify land issues, but his trip was unsuccessful.
A fjord was named in his honor , the Eberhard Fjord ( Fjordo Eberhard ). In Chile, Hermann Eberhard is considered to be one of the most important personalities in the settlement of the Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena .
literature
- Werner Gromsch (Ed.): El descubrimiento de la Region de Ultima Esperanza. La expedicion del Capitan Eberhard. Punta Arenas 1922 ( online ; PDF; 72 kB).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Eberhard, Hermann |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German entrepreneur in Patagonia |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 27, 1852 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ohlau , Silesia |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 30, 1908 |