UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH
At the end of the world, a man named Thomas Bridges was determined to evangelise the Yamana, the native canoe men of the Beagle channel. When he realised that such a task had no bright future, due to the imminent advance of civilization that far south, he decided to quit the mission and look for new horizons, and he founded Harberton, the first estancia ranch in Tierra del Fuego.
Of his six children, Lucas Bridges was perhaps the most adventurous. He was one of the only white men living with and writing about the Onas, a fact that makes this book a most valuable first-hand account. His exploring and pioneering took him to endeavours not only in Tierra del Fuego, but also to Chile and Africa.
This book is not just Lucas s story, but the story of the first years of Ushuaia, the beginning and development of Harberton, and the legitimate owners of the land the Onas and the Yamana.
In the pages of this book, the reader will find Lucas s spirit of adventure, and the need to join him in his travels through the mountains and beech forests of the southern end. Uttermost Part of the Earth is not a mere book on Tierra del Fuego, but the most iconic one.
Edad recomendada: Adultos.
BRIDGES LUCAS
Esteban Lucas Bridges fue un explorador, escritor y pionero anglo-argentino, nacido en Ushuaia en 1874. Hijo del reverendo Thomas Bridges, creció entre los pueblos originarios de Tierra del Fuego, aprendiendo sus lenguas y costumbres. Su obra más conocida, El último confín de la Tierra, relata la vida en la región austral y el contacto con las culturas Selknam y Yagán.
Además de su labor literaria, trazó rutas como el "Sendero Lucas Bridges" y fundó estancias en la Patagonia chilena, donde impulsó el desarrollo local con infraestructura y escuelas. Su vida estuvo marcada por la convivencia con comunidades indígenas, la exploración de territorios remotos y una mirada crítica sobre el impacto de la colonización.
Murió en Buenos Aires en 1949, dejando un legado invaluable sobre la historia y cultura fueguina.
