Howman Adventures: Estancia Harberton (by Xander)

We spent the night at Estancia Harberton which is a 1.5 hour drive up route 3 from Ushuaia. The ranch has two guests rooms for overnight visitors. We were the only guests for the night and the staff was very kind and helpful. We didn't expect our stay to be an educational experience, but it was! Gaston taught us about the flora and fauna both native and invasive. We had a lovely and unexpected visit from Natalie Goodall the owner who shared her story and the history of the ranch. Xander writes about it below.

Estancia Harberton was established as a working sheep ranch. They now operate as an educational tourist destination. It is located in Tierra Del Fuego, Patagonia, Argentina near Ushuaia. In it's day, wool from sheep was their major product along with cattle and horses.

In their winter (our summer) of 1995 most of their animals died. By that time they had also realized that their sheep weren't producers of the highest quality wool, as they lived on rugged terrain and there would often be burrs and sticks stuck in their wool. It was a legendary snow year for South America as it snowed approximately 3 meters (about 9 feet). Witnesses said that they saw cows completely buried with just their heads above the snow. The following spring they found many sheep and guanacos dead, hanging ten feet in the air in trees. Harberton ranch then started the transformation from an active ranch to a historical site.

Thomas Bridges established Harberton in 1886. He founded the Anglican Mission in Ushuaia to try to convert the Yaghans. However, he changed his perspective and tried to live in harmony with the native people. His father and others practically destroyed the Yaghan race and then Thomas came along to try and preserve it. He even made a dictionary of their entire language.

While we were having dinner at the Estancia, Natalie Goodall, the wife of Thomas D. Goodall who is a direct descendant of Thomas Bridges and runs the ranch, sat down and talked with us. She was born and raised in Ohio. She was in her id 20s when she first went to Ushuaia. There wasn't anywhere for her to stay in the actual city, and someone suggested that she stay at Harberton. She eventually did after some resistance. When she finally went to the ranch she and Thomas Goodall fell in love. Ushuaia and Harberton have ever since been her home. She was a botanist, but it turned out she had a knack for finding skeletons of marine animals, so she now has a museum of her findings located on the property. The museum is a major place of research in the field of Marine Biology today. Her collection is available for study to anyone who desires.

The entire operation of Estancia Harberton is run by interns that want to learn more about marine biology or tourism. Natalie is a major name in south American Biology. Natalie's personal story was the most fascinating part of our dinner conversation that night. I feel lucky to have met living history.