Year 1848 - City of Punta Arenas

Una particularidad es Punta Arenas, es que nunca fue fundada oficialmente por un decreto. Se toma el 18 Diciembre de 1848, cuando el Gobernador Santos Mardones, envía una carta al Gobierno de Chile, informando de su traslado desde Fuerte Bulnes, al lugar llamado Sandy Point, que después sería Punta Arenas...

In December 1848 a large fire destroyed a large part of the houses in Fuerte Bulnes. The incident occurred while the Chilean brig "Cóndor" was in the area and the governor ordered it to take some soldiers and materials to Sandy Point Bay. The settlers gradually moved there, without waiting for the government's authorization. The exact date of the founding of the city of Punta Arenas, which emerged at the beginning of 1849, is unknown.

A small detachment remained in Fuerte Bulnes to guard the cannons, the houses that were saved from the fire, and the cemetery, located on a hillside facing the sea.

When the new city was founded, the countryside was cleared, leaving a plain, 225 yards long by 35 yards wide from north to south. The city initially had only one street called María Isabel, which today is called Magallanes. Meanwhile, ships continued to cross the Strait and missionaries prepared to civilize the Indians.