miércoles, 25 de noviembre de 2009

La Jardinera de Andeón


A los hombres de valor!
En ágil carruaje, tungos sudorosos transportaban a milicos, gringos y paisanos, a través del inconmensurable desierto santacruceño.
Así fue "La Jardinera de Andeón" y así llamaron al primer correo que oteando horizontes, trazó huellas en la Patagonia austral, uniendo Punta Arenas con Río Gallegos y Lago Argentino, allá por la primera década del siglo XX.
Su conductor y propietario, era el oriental Manuel Andeón, que inscribió su nombre en los mapas del Instituto Geográfico Militar, al descubrir el paso sobre el río Gallegos Chico, en cercanías de la estancia "Pali Aike".
Su trajinada vida se vio tronchada tempranamente. El corte de un tiento fayuto le tendió una trampa que lo condujo al irretornable camino de la muerte, el 4 de diciembre de 1913, a la edad de 43 años.
Una vieja memoria nos dijo que este retazo de historia con ruedas, continuó surcando el gran erial guiada por las riendas de otro oriental, de apellido Martínez.

De los recuerdos y a la memoria de + Juan José Saldía Dedicado a sus nietos y bisnietos, que no han olvidado sus corajudas raices.



Andeón's Carriage

Sweating steeds used to transport everyone - militia, gringos1 and country folk - in a lightweight open-fronted carriage, across the vast endless Santa Cruz desert.
This was "Andeón's Carriage" and that was the ñame given to the first mail delivery service which, scanning the distant horizons, tracked down the way across southernmost Patagonia, joining Punta Arenas with Río Gallegos and the área around lake Argentino, way back in the first decade of the 20th century.
Its owner and driver was the oriental Manuel Andeón, whose ñame is recorded on the maps of the Argentine Military Geographical Institute, for discovering the crossing point over the Gallegos Chico river, in the vicinity of the estancia 'Pali Aike'.
His life of busy comings and goings was brought to an untimely end. The culprit was a leather thong that broke, sending him down that road from whence there is no return. He died on 4 December 1913 at the age of 43.
An oíd memory tells how this scrap of history on wheels continued plying its way across the great wilderness guided by the reins of another oriental, Martínez by súmame.

From the memoirs and in memory of +Juan José Saldía

1 a typical colloquial expression for anyone of European origin, as oppo-sed to "criollo", which is the term for one whose ancestry is mtxed with native blood and traces many generations born in Argentina. "Gringo" is used here to indicate the settlers and pioneers (many of whom were es¬tancia owners), and thus all classes of society - uniformed officials, weal-thy land-owners and humble people from all over the country, referred to here as "paisanos", which indicates humble origins with less emphasis on regional or provincial identity due to going wherever there is work - a characteristic of the "internal immigration" which brings so many people to Río Gallegos and Patagonia in general. It is a term generally used for rural workers, maintaining traditional ways.

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