The name of the City
The name of the City and the district is of the Coronel José Valentín de
Olavarría, borned in Salto, province of Buenos Aires, the l3 of february of 180l.

It started his military carrer being a child of eleven years old, entering to the Buenos Aires Regiment of Artillerymen like a cadet. In l8l6 it entered to the Andes army under the rules of Gral. San Martín.
Because of his heroism in the Ayacucho battle it got a meddle that said: "The Mother country to the Winners of the Andes. Chile recovered by the value in Chacabuco ".

His performance in the following years it os full of merits, in the defeat of Cancha Rayada, the battle of Maipú where he recived another meddle, the passage by sea to Perú and the entrance to Lima. He takes part in the battles of Cochabamba, Junín and Ayacucho.

In l824 comes back to Buenos Aires and participate in the civil wars with the Gral. Lavalle. Because of his conflict with Rosas politic he left the military life and, already married and with kids he dedicated to explot a field in Mercedes. Later he went to Montevideo, where he died in october the 23rd of 1845.

The monument to Cnel. Olavarría is located in the central square, that take his name. It was opened in 1901 with bigs populars parties.

A portrait to the pastel it is keep in the Honorable Consejo Deliberante.
In the year 19OO it was given by the prinpal of the National Historical Museum, Mr. Adolfo P. Carranza. It doesn´t have the name of the author, the same that in the statue of bronze in the monument, the only thing that is known is the fused in the Military Arsenal.

Source: Olavarriense History Book

History...
Olavarria´s District is in the centre of the Provincia de Buenos Aires, with its head city with the same name.

In the century XVIII the population in the Provincia de Buenos Aires hardly reach to the Salado river, with 10,000 habitants, including the City of Buenos Aires. By that time, in 1741, it was made the first expedition until the place where Olavarria is nowdays and it were signed treaties of peace with the natives. The first attempt of occupation of the place was made during the military campaign against the Indians between 1855 and 1856. The Coronel Tenet Ignacio Rivas, raice in 1855, in the borders of the stream Tapalquén a small Bunker; in 1864 the Comandancia Militar was authorized by the Nacional Goverment to be transferred to the same place, Knowing the need to advance to the border of the south.

Since then, there were made uninterrupted recognitions in the topographic aspect and the indians populations. In 1822 it was propused to raise bunkers and poulations in the present Olavarria and in Blanca Grande. In 1855 it failed one attempted to populate the place due to the defeats suffered by the military services in Sierra Chica and San Jacinto. So, the “New Tapalque”, as it was called at the beginning, it was transformed in smoky rests. In 1864 the Teniente Coronel Ignacio Rivas located the “Corners of the stream Tapalquen Camp”. Around it, it beging to grow a population.

The writer Estanislao Zeballos was for this place in two opportunities, in 1874 and in 1879. In his book "A trip around the country of the araucanos" it mentions our city like the population embryo: "In 1875 the last indigenous revolt took place in the zone commanded by Manuel Namuncurá. In charge of 4000 lances camped like in 1855 in Sierra Chica to 20 years from the victory reach in there by Calfucurá. In that time the fields were a desert and the population in Olavarria extended to one league from the bunker and it was reduced to the Don Eulalio Aguilar house (...) The general Roca has visit him in the same time".

The Coronel Alvaro Barros, was considered the founder of Olavarria, after obtain the peace with the cacique of the zone, took possession of the bunker camp the 1st of august in 1866, locating in the right margin of the stream Tapalqué. His intention was to respect the Indians and live with them.
The National Goverment design the coronel Alvaro Barros head of the Border of the South in 1865. The objective of the new chief was to equip the border establishing a military camp, distributing the first lots before the foundation was legalizad by decree. The coronel Alvaro Barros obtained the oficial recognition and decreed the foundation of the "Pueblo de Olavarria", the 25th of November of 1867. But it is documented that the town existed since 1864 and his embryo, before.

The next year, existed in the town 10 blocks and in 1869 20 commerce houses. Alvaro Barros, because of bad treat with the War Minister Dr.Gainza was separated of the charge, the only civil authoroty was the Mayor who was faculty to send tickets of the lands to the population.

Also it were constituted the authoroties, that will be the Peace Judge, a Militar Comandant, a Comisión Municipal and the Police. In 1878 it were established near Olavarria the Russian-Germans colonists that dedicated almost with exclusivity, to the cultivation of trigo. As of the following year, when the distric was made, the comunitary life was organized, by means of the establishment of Publics and Pivates Intitutions.

After the peace with the indians was made specific the citizens begun to move and dedicated to the rurals activities; Alvaro Barros advised that the cultivation of trigo, what gave optimal result.
By the end of 1868 Alvaro Barros was replaced by the Coronel Tenent Francisco D'Elía, and in the next year the command was move to the border of the lagoon Blanca Grande, being left the population already established; to Project this one it stayed a little command of forty members of the National Guard in charge of the Capitan Lucio Florinda that maintain the neigburhoods cohesion, achieving that several Indians tribes made agrarian working. Mean while the civil authority was the Peace Jundge from Azul. The distance from Azul, place where the new commission was named in 1873 to control the delivery of the fields, took the neighbours of Olavarria in 1874 to ask the provintional goverment the creation of a district and the rectification of its mensura; This was approved not taking the first point. In 1875 the provincial goverment, run by Carlos Casares, named in november, the surveyor Coquet to make the traza del ejido, Work that end in may of 1877.

When the District was made in 1878, the 16th of may in 1879, it were established their limits and were desing their first own authorities; the peace judge Eulelio Aguilar and a municpal commission constituted by Manuel Canavero, Celestino Muñoz, Manuel Leal and Emilio Cortez like titulares, and substitutes Angel Moya and Joaquín Pourtalé.

In October the 25th of 1878 it was elevated to Olavarria town like head of the district, elevating it to the rank of city the 10th of January of 1908. One of the first constructions was the San Jose Church, which the present building was opened in 1898; the railroad, a very important tool in the economic development of the zone, arrived to the city in 1883.

At the end of XIX century the most importants Institutions in the town were the Provincia of Buenos Aires Bank, whose Branch opened in 1882, the Rural Society, made in 1885 and the Ladies and Charity Society, who had in charge the Hospital.
In 1873 the italians, main migratory current of Olavarria, found the Mutual Association, first in its kind, that was called Sociedad Filantrópica de Socorros Mutuos, that then took the name "Menotti-Garibaldi". Its basic objectives were help and aid.

In 1881 it was instaled in the country "La Tigra", Joaquín Pourtalé´s property, the first fencing of the zone; by that time appear the first workers grouping, being this the ones of the cocheros, the commerce employes and the Teachers Assosation.
The population in the district were over the 7.000 habitants, of which near 900 it were living in the head city.

As far as the education in the begining of 1881 it finished the construction of the schools for boys and girls constituting in October of that year the School Council, integrated by Mr. José María Espache, Norberto Pérez, Angel Moya, Manuel Reina, Julián Games and Ambrosio Bozano.
In 1882 it Works the boys schools, in charge of the teacher Manuel Rivera and the girls, run by the teacher Amelia Frish; in 1938 the district had 30 schools.

Besides the head city, the District had populations of different levels, such as Blanca Grande, Espigas, Recalde, Iturregui, Muñoz, Pourtalé, Empalme Querandíes, Tte.Cnel.Miñana, Hinojo, Colonia San Miguel, Sierras Bayas, Loma Negra, Villa Fortabat, La Providencia, Santa Lucía and Durañona.

Geografía local
El Partido de Olavarría se encuentra ubicado en el centro de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, (37° S., 60° O.), su relieve corresponde a la llanura pampeana con serranías al centro-este del partido. Su superficie es de 7.715 km y viven en ella más de 100.000 habitantes

Olavarría, es la ciudad cabecera del partido y se ubica sobre la ruta nacional 226 y provincial 51, a 40 km. de la ruta nacional 3.

Su orografía esta compuesta por cerros, sierras y elevaciones menores, pertenecientes al Sistema de Tandilia, que se prolonga desde este Partido hasta la Sierra de los Padres, con una extensión aproximada de 330 km. Las sierras no sobrepasan los 500 m sobre el nivel del mar.

La hidrografía está representada por lagunas y arroyos, algunos de cursos permanentes y otros temporarios. El arroyo más importante para la población es el Tapalqué, que nace en los Manantiales de Querandíes y cruza la ciudad de sur a norte. La laguna más visitada, Blanca Grande, está ubicada en el ángulo norte del Partido.

El suelo es rico en rocas graníticas que se encuentran a ras de superficie. Esto ha permitido una importante industria de la piedra, al tiempo que se destaca la fertilidad de la tierra, por lo que son importantes la ganadería y la agricultura

El Partido es integrado por las localidades de Sierra Chica, Colonia Hinojo, Hinojo, Sierras Bayas, Colonia San Miguel, Colonia Nieves, Cerro Sotuyo, La Providencia, Loma Negra, Espigas, Recalde, Santa Luisa, Durañona, Pourtalé, Rocha, Mapis, Muñoz, Iturregui y Blanca Grande.

Local Geografy
Olavarria´s District is located in the centre of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, (37°S., 60° W.), its relief is a pampan plain with mountains in the centre-east of the district. Its surface is of 7.715 km and live in there more than a 100.000 habitants.

Olavarria, is the head city in the district and is located over the national route 226 and provincial 51, to 40 km. of the national route 3.

Its orography it is composing by smaller hills, mountain ranges and elevations, that belong to the Tandilia´s Sistem, that extended to Sierra de los Padres District, with an extenssion of 330 km aproximately. The mountains ranges don´t exced the 500 m over the level of the sea.

The hydrography its represented by lagoons and streams, some are permanent courses and others temp ones. The most important stream for the population is the Tapalqué, that begins in the Manantiales of Querandíes and crooses the city from south to north. The most visited lagoon, Blanca Grande, is located in the north angle of the District.

The ground is full of graniticas rocks that are on the surface. This has allow an important rock´s industry, in the same time stands out the ground fertility, that is why the cattled ranch and agriculture are importants.

The District is integrated by the localities of Sierra Chica, Colonia Hinojo, Hinojo, Sierras Bayas, Colonia San Miguel, Colonia Nieves, Cerro Sotuyo, La Providencia, Loma Negra, Espigas, Recalde, Santa Luisa, Durañona, Pourtalé, Rocha, Mapis, Muñoz, Iturregui and Blanca Grande.

Total of the District: 100.000
Habitants. City: 80.000
Habitants Active Population: 63%

Aproximately distance from Olavarria (in Km):
9 de Julio: 208 Ayacucho: 200
Azul: 48 Bahía Blanca: 320
Balcarce: 245 Bolívar: 106
Campana: 420
Cañuelas: 280
Capital Federal: 350
Carmen de Patagones: 597
Catamarca: 1.195
Claromecó: 305
Córdoba: 816
Coronel Suárez: 208
Corrientes: 1310
Formosa: 1.480
General La Madrid: 114
General Villegas: 323
Jujuy: 1.735
Junín: 290
La Plata: 330
La Rioja: 1.235
Laprida: 110
Mar del Plata: 295
Mendoza: 1.059
Miramar: 330
Necochea: 300
Neuquén: 862
Paraná: 735
Pergamino: 390
Pinamar: 480
Posadas: 1.630
Puerto Madryn: 1.028
Rawson: 1.100
Resistencia: 1.294
Rio Cuarto: 670
Río Gallegos: 2.253
Rosario: 520
Santa Fé: 705
Santa Rosa: 440
Tandil: 127
Tres Arroyos: 224