Bahía Blanca

History and Legends

With a population of 300.000 inhabitants, Bahía Blanca is head of its district, and possesses an important deep water port.
In 1520 Hernando de Magallanes discovered the bay that received the name Bahía Blanca for the white reflection of is saltpetrous banks. In 1925 it was called "Baxos de Arenas Blancas", and the present port Ing. White was first called "Nueva Buenos Aires".
In 1822, Captain Morel determined and reported the extension of the bay, and in 1923 the governor appointed Mr. José Valentín García to write a report about the area with the information obtained. The report sent in 1824 sets the basis to determine the construction of forts and the settling of people as an effective measure to carry out the fight according to Rivadavia´s idea and project.
Four years later, Colonel Manuel Dorrego appointed Mr. Juan Manuel de Rosas, who was at that time Comandante de Frontera Sur, to organize the expedition and carry out Rivadavia´s idea, which included passing by the coast of the Salado river, Fuerte Independencia (today Tandil), and arrive at Bahía Blanca.
That is how, on 22nd March 1828, after several alternatives, an expedition commanded by Ramón Estomba sets off from Fuerte Independencia (Tandil) to arrive at the bay on 9th April, and chose the right place to build the fortress they would call "Protectora Argentina", and they would start building on 11th April, being that date taken as foundation date.
The village was thus formed around the fortress that suffered several malones as well as shortage and struggle for supplies. It was declared city on 22nd October 1895, being elected Mr. Teófilo Bordeau as the first town hall intendent, and then Mr. Luis C. Caronti, what fostered the development of the town.
In 1884, the first train arrived to the town, what gave way to the possibility to sell their farming products in search for different ports and cities. This produced a transformation in the structure of the incipient population, and new stores, railways, ports and neighbourhoods, even the iron dock that made the commercial interchange possible, appeared on the scene.
Today the city gathers several industries, and keeps being the commercial core of all the southern part of the province of Buenos Aires, while an inevitable point in the touristic transit to Patagonia.