Puerto Bories facts for kids

Puerto Bories is a small historic town located about 4 kilometers from Puerto Natales in Chile. It was once a "company town," meaning it was built and owned by a single company, the Sociedad_Explotadora_de_Tierra_del_Fuego. The main purpose of Puerto Bories was to support a large "frigorífico," which is a plant that processed sheep meat and wool.

This company town had everything its employees needed. Besides the huge processing plant, it featured a radio station, a swimming pool, a small dairy farm, and places for fun and recreation. There was even a police outpost and homes for important staff like managers and engineers. After the 1990s, the plant stopped most of its work. Today, Puerto Bories still feels like a private town, with its main square and roads belonging to the local property owners. As of 2012, it has become a popular spot with three hotels and a few small shops.

The Rise of Puerto Bories

In the late 1800s, many pioneers from Europe arrived in the Last Hope Province. They started a big industry based on sheep farming. This led to the building of the Bories Cold-Storage Plant in 1915. This plant was very important because it processed and froze sheep meat and wool. These products were then sent all the way to markets in Europe.

This large industrial plant worked for almost 60 years. It created many jobs and helped the population grow in the Patagonia region. Its success also played a big part in the development of Puerto Natales, which was founded in 1911.

How the Plant Operated

The sheep industry in Puerto Bories was very self-sufficient. It had its own departments and large sheep farms called "estancias." At its busiest, the plant could process between 150,000 and 250,000 sheep each year!

It employed about 100 people all year round. During the busiest time, from January to April, the number of workers could go up to 400. This shows how important the plant was for jobs in the area.

Architecture and Legacy

The Cold-Storage Plant was built in a style called "Post Victorian Industrial." It still has many original British machines. These machines show the kind of technology used in the early 1900s. The entire frigorífico complex is a key part of the industrial history of the Puerto Natales area. In 2010, the old frigorífico was beautifully restored and turned into a hotel called The Singular Patagonia.

Images for kids

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  Puerto Bories (2010)

See also

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  In Spanish: Puerto Bories para niños