In 1887, Alexander Cameron left Scotland and traveled to Chile to become a settler. He was only 23 years old and all alone.We have no oral or written record of what life was like for him. Perhaps there are letters in Scotland that describe his experiences. What a treasure it would be to find them.
Political background
Around 1860, the Chilean government decides to incorporate La Araucania, the homeland of the Mapuche natives. They were a fierce and ferocious fighting nation who successfully resisted all attempts to be conquered by the Spaniards for over 300 years. Around 1883 the Chilean army defeats the Mapuches in a bloody battle at Villarica and the Chileans “open up” La Araucania to foreign immigrants.
This region is amazingly fertile, the soil produces thrice the amount expected and the forests are endless. Alexander Cameron arrives at La Frontera between 1887 and 1888, or 4 to 5 years after the last Mapuche battle. Records show that between 1885 to1890 La Frontera received 6.894 immigrants who arrived by ship to Talcahuano. They were from Switzerland (2.599), France (1.593), Germany (1.110), United Kingdom (1.082), Spain (339) Russia (65), Belgium (54), Italy (48) and USA (4). Upon their arrival they are leased 40 hectares (98.8 acres), farming tools, materials for building a house and seeds.
The Settler Experience
In the book “Diez Años en la Araucania 1889 – 1899” by Gustav Verniory there is a first hand account of an immigrants life and I will reproduce a redacted version of his account because I am certain it is a close analogy to Alexander Cameron's experiences.
“Mr. Martin (a Belgium immigrant)... heard in 1888 that Chile was seeking immigrants. He immediately contacted the agent of the Chilean Government... and shortly after he embarked with this family. He brought with him his farming tools, a box of carpenter tools, and a sickle (an edge tool for cutting grass or crops; has a curved blade and a short handle). He would recommend future immigrants to bring 2 or 3 extra sickles, and all sorts of vegetable seeds. Also he recommends to bring beds, plenty of white clothes and essential cooking implements, but not flatware. For the voyage it is desirable to bring ham and canned foods, not because the food on board is bad, but because it is always the same.
In Talcahuano, the port of arrival, an immigrant agent was waiting for them and then accompanied them to Angol (by train), where they arrived the same afternoon. After a hearty meal, they were taken to the barracks where they spent 8 days. While there they were well fed and received 20 centavos per day.
They were then taken to Traiguen, were they were given a cart, a pair of oxen, a yoke and accessories.
The convoy then left for Quino, always being led by a kind agent of the colonizing office. The convoy was composed of 18 British families, 16 Spanish, 4 French and 1 Belgium.
They remained in Quino for 15 days, each person selecting the site of their settlement and still receiving 20 centavos per day and lodging in the barracks. Mr Martin chose his settlement at the edge of a river, but latter he wished he had chosen half by the river and the other half in a forested area.
Each settler was given 150 boards and 50 pounds of nails, with which they built a temporary barn.
It was mid-summer. He began by helping to harvest the fields of a settler who had arrived the year before. Between them they harvested 9 hectares. The threshing (separating the seed from the chaff) was done with a roller pulled by oxen. He received in payment 12 bags (sacks), which he sold for 5 pesos per sack earning 60 pesos.
Since it was February and he had to wait for the right season to plant seeds, he built his house and a stable, and then he proceeded to work the fields.
In April he planted 6 blocks, or about 9 hectares. The colonizing office had given him 4 sacks of wheat seed and he had purchased 5 more sacks, which turned out to be a sack of seed per hectare.
He had also planted a vegetable garden with the seeds he brought from Europe. The vegetables grew well, and not only provided food for the summer but he had plenty of provision for the winter.
The second half of June and the months of July and August were forced rest due to torrential rains and violent winter storms.
With the approaching Spring in September, he prepared the soil for planting potatoes, and took care of the vegetable garden. His settlement is big enough so that fields planted with wheat one year are left for fallow the next.
His settlement contains natural grasslands fields. There is still a large quantity of a beautiful clover, that he will dry and will sell earning about 120 pesos per year.
He purchased 2 cows which cost him 30 and 35 pesos. He sells 20 liters of milk per day at 10 centavos per liter therefore he earns 2 pesos daily. He has sufficient milk left for his home and to make butter, which he sells for 80 centavos per pound.
He harvests at the end of January. His 9 sacks of seed produce 180 sacks of wheat. If he had a forest within his settlement, he could have burnt part of the forest and planted in the ashes, which has a yield of 30 sacks per sack of seed. At the beginning of his second year he bought a second pair of oxen. At the end of the second year he had acquired 3 horses and 12 heads of cattle. At this time he had fenced his settlement and made a comfortable hom
e.
By the third year he hired help and planted 20 hectares and rented 18 hectares from a neighbor. The rented land yields 20 to 1 while his property yields only 18 to 1. This year was bad for many settlers because January brought heavy rains, but not for Mr. Martin because he had bought a harvest machine which allowed him to store his grain before the rains.
The fourth year he planted 60 hectares on rented lands. His profit was 850 sack which he sold for 4.590 pesos. The following year he did poorly because a great drought.
Having met the condition of his contract he obtained title to his lands...” (p. 378 - 380)
Tonight on our way to a concert I saw a T-shirt that read “Farmin' ain't for wimps”... no kidding. In the picture at the top Alexander Cameron looks scholarly and soft. On the picture immediatly above, the softness has disappeared and is replaced by hard determination. Is there any wonder...?
