A brief history of the exploration of the area, aided by interesting old maps

An introductory glance at how the area was known at different times in the recent past.

The old maps were borrowed from the David Rumsey Map Collection (davidrumsey.com)

This German map of 1844 depicts the degree of knowledge then possessed about Patagonia and, with the added southern polar area, how land in the southern hemisphere was believed to lie in relation to the recently "discovered" Antarctic. This view of land-masses nearest to the South Pole is, I believe, quite accurate for the time.

Regarding our area of interest, surprinsing detail is given to the coasts of Patagonia while the hinterland appears almost entirely blank. Scale is 1 : 7.700.000 for Patagonia. More details shown in the next map.

This map of 1857 is of roughly the same scale as the one above it, but I have zoomed on our study area to see details more clearly. Within the still blank hinterland a large lake appears just north of what would be the 47º S parallel. 

The belief in the existence of this body of water dates back to the 1750s, but the source of this knowledge is obscure. The lake was given different names, and it´s outlet was mistakenly drawn to the east or south. It was not until the late 1890s that it became conclusively proved that it drained through it´s western end to the Pacific. This shows how recently the area became fully explored.

A great leap forward in the exploration of this latitude was given by Musters` (1870) and Moyano`s (1880) overland trips. Their paths from south to north are shown in this map of 1883 (they diverge at the indian camp called "Pagie").

Moyano had more time and instruments for mapping. He named and accurately placed "Zeballos Mt", and christened the big lake "Buenos Aires", though he could only explore it´s eastern section. With some inaccuracies, the river valleys of the eastern side of the map fall into place.

This map hints at a boundary between Argentina and Chile but absolutely lacks all features pertaining to the high mountains and valleys of the area. Almost twenty years would elapse before the outlet of the lake became explored, the mountains charted, and the international border drawn in 1902.

And finally, a satellite image borrowed from Google Maps. The eastern body of the lake is joined to a long fjord-like arm extending to the south-west. A large ice-cap separates it from the islands of the Pacific. This "North Patagonian Ice-cap remained shrouded in mystery until the 1920s, when it was first explored. Its true extent and main features did not become known until aerial observations were carried out in the following decades.