Charles Darwin keeps appearing in this blog. He is almost like a silent family member. I must admit that one of the reasons we came to Ushuaia is because Darwin sailed through the Beagle Channel on the HMS Beagle and there are "souvenirs" of his visit all around town, if you seek to find them. First of all, the local "microbrew" is named Beagle, and the label features the ship that carried Darwin around the world. More obscure, but no less interesting is the store called "Jimmy Button." I went inside and asked the shop keeper if she knew the significance of the name. She did not. However, I am sure that it is no coincidence that one of the Tierra del Fuego "natives" was named by Captain Fitzroy as "Jemmy Button." Jemmy (not Jimmy) was one of 4 natives who were "captured" by the English for conversion to Christianity on the first voyage of the Beagle. Jemmy was returned to Tierra del Fuego in 1832 with Charles Darwin. Lastly, the Beagle Channel itself was named by Captain Fitzroy in honor of his ship. While many people can claim to have read Darwin's "Voyage of the Beagle," not many people can claim to have read it while sailing on the Beagle Channel itself!
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