PORT SAN CARLOS (KC)

San Carlos is considered to be named for the Spanish sloop San Carlos which visited in May 1768.
Port San Carlos, previously known as ‘San Carlos North’  (changed in January 1930 ) is also known as ‘Cameron’s’ or ‘K.C.’after William Keith Cameron who arrived in the Falklands from Gairloch, Scotland in 1867, recruited on contract to the Falkland Islands Company as a teacher and storekeeper for Darwin. He took to riding horses and when adverts for farms to let in the islands appeared he left the FIC and joined with Andrez Pitaluga and Smith in a sheep farming venture. Only Cameron was experienced with sheep and he set up at Port San Carlos or what was then San Carlos North. Cameron and James Greenshields also purchased a farm in Patagonia which they named Lochiel after Cameron’s home in Scotland and sheep were sent to it from the San Carlos North farm. His nephew Jack took over the running of San Carlos during the 1890’s with William Keith retiring to England but regularly visiting the farms. A meat works was started at K.C. by William Keith and George Greenshields with some hydro and steam power in 1909. It closed in 1915 with the disruption to shipping in WW1. William Keith’s son Norman Keith took over running K.C. in 1928 after working as a cadet on estancias in Patagonia. Port San Carlos was sold and sub-divided in 1989; Race Point and Smylies in the settlement, Moss Side, Elephant Beach and Cape Dolphin.

Smyley’s Village or Creek was named after notorious Captain William Horton Smyley , an American sealer who became notorious in the Falkland Islands from the late 1820’s.

San-Carlos-river San Carlos river rises in between the Wickham Heights and White Mountain it is the Falklands longest river , slow running with some pools and good fishing. Permission is needed to fish. The biggest trout caught there was 22lbs.   Cape-Dolphin Cape-Dolphin---Sea-Lions Cape Dolphin, the northern most tip of East Falkland is named after the HMS Dolphin, a frigate which arrived in the Falkland Islands in1765, part of a British squadron sent to survey the islands. The peninsula is a National Nature reserve with Southern Sea Lions breeeding there, Gentoo and Magellanic penguins. Many waterfowl and wading birds breed on Swan Pond. Cape Dolphin is a working farm.

Sources include: Falkland Rural Heritage- Joan Spruce with Natalie Smith, nationalarchives.gov.fk/Jane Can you add/ correct any information or supply photographs for this page, past or present? Contact: falklands.southatlantic@gmail.com Photographic credits: Ailsa Heathman Photographs and Images Copyright: The images on this site have been bought under licence or have been used with the permission of their owners. They may not be copied or downloaded in any form without their owner's consent.

Find out more about Port San Carlos 'KC'