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SALTA Called Salta the
beautiful after an aymara term which means “very beautiful”. It was founded
by Fernando de Lerma on 16th
april 1582, having to this day fine colonial buildings.
In the Lerma Valley some important independence battles took place: the
first is the battle of Salta, on February 20th 1813, where Belgrano
defeated the Spanish; the second were Martin Miguel de Guemes guerrillas who
stopped the enemy armies which came from the north, while Jose de San Martin
planned his campaign to Chile.
The railway Guemes-Salta started on October 31st 1891.
In 1890 the first train had arrived to Salta.
CERRILLOS It was founded in 1822 by Father Serapio Gallegos and named
Cerrillos because of the low hills that sorround it. There, in the Canepa
Estate, generals M.M. de Guemes and Jose Rondeau signed the deal known as the
“Peace of Cerrillos” on March 22nd 1816.
The railway between Salta and Cerrillos was entitled on October 1st
1898.
ROSARIO DE LERMA It takes its name after the virgin of the rosary of the
Lerma Valley. The railway starts on 27th August 1907. The two storeys
station was built with sones from the sorroundings. It is similar to other
stations such as San Pedro de Jujuy, El Quemado, Fraile Pintado, Ledesma, etc.
For a long time the principal activity was
that were taken on foot and then by railway to Chile.
CHORRILLOS Known as
Chorrillitos referring to the springs that come down from the mountains. Here is
the 2nd and last zig-zag , also in shape of Z.
INGENIERO MAURY The name is in honour of the first manager and mentor of the
construction of this railway. A colleague of his,
Ing. Alurralde describes him as a tall man, very active, most of the time
with a smile on his face, during the day he was seen at the construction area on
a “zorra”, on horseback, in a Ford T or Buick. Before sunset he used to
leave for Salta where he dwelled. Every night he used to get together with his
friends at the Plaza Hotel, chatting till late.
This site used to be called Damian
Torino and Golgota alluding to the original owners of the land.
GOBERNADOR MANUEL SOLA This was the name of the owner of the land where the
Railway Station was built. He was governor of Salta and one of the founders of
the “Liga de las Provincias del Norte” comfronting the governor of Buenos
Aires, Juan Manuel de Rosas. He was born in Salta on June 17th 1798,
he was twice governor of the province, he went into exile for 14 years, he
founded 22 schools during his first government, he dressed the provincial troops
and the poor people with products out of his own spinning mill. He died in Salta
on 23rd February 1867. The Station still maintains the rail-triangle
(the tracks can be seen on Route N.51) and the settlements for storage
and fuel oil supply for steam engines.
PUERTA TASTIL This name comes from quechua “place of bumps”. Here, the
encampment of the 4th Section of the construction settled, managed by
the Engineer Emilio Lanherdson. Its the last railway station in the Quebrada del
Toro.
MESETA It gets its name from the plateau in which it is set.
TACUARA The name comes from a type of cane that the gauchos used as weapons.
It is also the name of a gauge inbetween the Quebradas del Toro and Lagunillas.
DIEGO DE ALMAGRO He was the
first Spanish Captain who conquered the northwest
of Argentina in 1536 while heading for Chile. He was finally beheaded in
Cusco in 1524.
Its former name was Lagunillas as it is in the Quebrada de Lagunillas.
INCAHUASI This word comes from quechua meaning “house of the Inca”.
Nearby is “Las Cuevas” which was the base of the encampment of the 5th
section of the construction in 1922, led
by engineer Hernan Pfister. Later, it became the base for railway workers who
maintained that part of the tracks.
CACHIÑAL In quechua it means road of the salt because it was indeed the
road to the Salinas Grandes (Jujuy) on the main road to Peru.
BOMBA DEL KM. 1289 Place for the supply of water for the steam locomotives.
The water was of very good quality and of enough quantity for the provision of
the time.
ABRA MUÑANO “Muña” is a
quechua term which refers to an aromatic herb that “cures everything”, and
“yoc” is a place where the muña is abundant.
Abra is an opening between two mountains and geologically speaking it refers
to an opening in the mountains produced by underground evaporation and
considered as an indication of the existence of a mine (Sopena). Here, for the
first time, the 4000 mts. of altitude are surpassed and one enters the Puna.
MUÑANO Railway Station following the latter and bearing the same name.
SAN ANTONIO DE LOS COBRES Its name results from being situated in the area
of the Sierras de Cobres that together with the Sierras de los Pastos Grandes,
form the most important chain of mountains. Today it is the most important town
in the area (Departamento de los Andes, Salta). The chapel, its altar and its
baptismal font stand out as they’ve been built in onix marble donated by the
owners of the Mina Cvitanic. The railway tracks got here on July 24th
1929.
MINA CONCORDIA Near the station the remains of the Mina La Concordia
still exist, where the exploitation of gold, silver and lead was
abandoned when the galleries got flooded and it was too expensive to drain and
risky to continue its explitation.
LA POLVORILLA The amazing viaduct stands in this place; its construction
started in September 1929 by the Aristides de Vecchi firm. The first time a
train crossed it was at ehe end of 1932; but, unfortunately, Maury was not
present. Polvorilla means sulphide
of silver.
QUEBRADA DEL TORO Some think the name of this gauge comes from the bulls
that were taken to Chile, while others state that it comes form the quechua
“tturu-barro” referring to the amount of solids suspending and dissoluted
that the river carries when rising.
CAMPO QUIJANO Spot chose for the installation of the Principal Encampment of
the Construction of the Railway.
The head of it till January 31st 1931 was Richard Maury. The first
buildings were the warehouses and the railway deposits. In December 15th
1921 a branch of the Institucion Cooperativa del Personal de Ferrocarriles del Estado (Cooperative
institution of workers of the State Railway) settled in Campo Quijano, which
contributed to the better
of the workers. Then on 9th July 1923, for the first time, the
Independence Day was conmemorated here.
VIRREY TOLEDO It takes its name after Don Francisco de Toledo, viceroy of
Peru. Here the Encampment of the first section of the construction settled and
was led by Nicanor Alurralde. Five km. after Virrey Toledo,
the Rio Toro is crossed by the first viaduct, called Toro, 23 mts. high.
It was inaugurated in January 5th 1924.
EL ALISAL Its name comes from the aliso, a mountain tree, that grws above the 1200 mts. of altitude.
The place also was known as El Tunal
and Alejo de Alberro this last in
homage to the priest of Humahuaca who helped Martin Miguel de Guemes in his
fight for Independence. Here also is the first Zigzag (swith back)
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