Thomas Bridges (Anglican Missionary) - Missionary Work

Missionary Work

After an attack on the Allen Gardiner, the ship used by Despard, he petitioned the missionary society asking permission to return to England. When the society gave its approval, he and his family returned; however, Thomas Bridges, then 17, remained in charge of the Keppel Island base. Thomas Bridges spent the next year on Keppel Island living with some of the Fuegians who had remained there. In this way, he perfected his knowledge of the language and started work on a dictionary of the language, which was completed in 1879, containing over 30,000 words.

The next superintendent of the base was the Rev. Waite Hockin Stirling. Stirling and Thomas Bridges made their first excursion into Tierra del Fuego in 1863. They made contact with the Fuegians who, on encountering a white man who could speak their language, received them well. In 1866, Stirling made a visit to England accompanied by four Fuegian boys. They returned, and from 1867–1868 a group of Fuegians was assisted in setting up a settlement at Laiwaia on Navarino Island. There, a search was made for the best spot for a mission. The site chosen was in what is now Ushuaia and a small three-roomed prefabricated hut, about 20 feet (6.1 m) by 10 feet (3.0 m), was prepared at Port Stanley for construction at Ushuaia. The hut was erected on the shore at Ushuaia and Stirling, one of the young Fuegians who had accompanied him to England, and the latter's wife, moved in on January 14, 1869.