La Forestal
The company played a significant role in establishing approximately 40 towns, constructing ports, laying down 400 kilometers of private railways, and operating around 30 factories.
[3] La Forestal's exports were substantial, and its Chaco tannin played a crucial role in tanning leather goods, including boots and other gear, for British soldiers during World War I.
In 1872, the provincial government took action to develop the Chaco Santafesino by contracting a loan with the London firm "Murrieta & Co.," represented by the Argentine Lucas González.
Eventually, in 1880, the National Government, under González's guidance, passed a bill to honor one-third of the debt with Treasury bonds and the remaining two-thirds with public land, which would be restricted and sold in England and other parts of Europe.
The law's implementation resulted in González being appointed as the agent for the London firm, tasked with selling 668 square leagues of land, approximately 2 million hectares, covered with quebracho trees, making it the largest tannin reserve in the world.
The transaction faced little questioning in the National Parliament, and there were rumors that the lands might be subdivided into colonies, as the region was seen as suitable for the settlement of Anglo-Saxon settlers.
Numerous tannin factories were established in the northern province of Santa Fe, attracting thousands of workers and giving rise to new urban centers known as "forest towns."
[4] The main towns featured tannin factories, general stores, elegant English-style residences for married managers and employees, "bachelor" accommodations for single men, simple ranches for workers and laborers, sports clubs, golf courses, and amenities such as electricity, running water, sewer systems, and medical care.
[3] Women were crucial in supporting the exhausted workforce, serving as wives, mothers, teachers, nurses, prostitutes, midwives, healers, seamstresses, cooks, laundresses, ironers, and sellers at obrajes dances.
In 1919, during the presidency of UCR's Hipólito Yrigoyen (1916–1922), the workers at La Forestal successfully established a strong union organization and initiated a general strike.
[3] However, in the following years, La Forestal breached the agreement and influenced the radical government of Santa Fe to create a paramilitary group called the Gendarmería Volante, funded by the company, to protect its interests.
Simultaneously, the Argentine Patriotic League (Liga Patriótica Argentina), a civil organization, deployed armed groups in the area to confront strikers.
[10] The rebellion faced brutal repression from the Gendarmería Volante and the Patriotic Legion, resulting in the deaths of approximately 600 workers and reports of torture, rape, and the burning of houses.
During this period, workers in tannin factories, workshops, forests, trains, and boats organized themselves, formed unions, and presented a list of demands to improve working and living conditions.
[4] In 1963, La Forestal closed its last factory and ceased its operations in Argentina, marking the end of activity in the obrajes (forestry workstations).
A report prepared by the Ministry of the Environment and INTA estimated the ecological cost caused solely by La Forestal at a staggering $3 billion.
Recognized as Provincial Historical Heritage, La Chaqueña thrived during its heyday, employing 200 people in the plant and engaging over two thousand loggers who transported quebracho from the forests.
