The military mission was to protect the frontier pass with Argentina, for which they needed to build a military fort as a base for support and supplies for the campaign operations foreseen in the interior of the Andes, and protect themselves from the aboriginals from the Pampas and Neuquen that the Argentinean army was forcing to emigrate.

It is most probable that none of the members of the small deployment sent to this mission imagined that the lake they passed next to a huge active volcano would later become a small settlement whose magnetism would cross borders and invite citizens from across the world to enjoy its natural bounties.

The deployment sent from Villarrica by Colonel Urritia, who founded Pucon in 1883, was received by the main chieftains of the place: Paillalef, Huaquifil, Epuin, Panguilef and Antinao. These surnames are still common nowadays.

The place chosen to build the military base is where now we see the main square of Pucon. The Guarnicion, as this building was called at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, was used as the first Customs office.

Sea traffic was the only alternative for connecting Villarrica and Pucon. And it was in the Poza sector, now the Don Santiago Port, was the first port with a major commercial activity development in that time. From there large amounts of sleeper wood was shipped towards Villarrica and Loncoche..

By that time there were already a few houses and buildings amidst the lush vegetation—these where families of settlers that saw development opportunities in a town that was slowly growing with a great deal of sacrifices and effort.

But it wasn't all work—horse races where entertaining activities during the day, and at night the fun went on in the party houses of the Gringa Pobre, the Chela flaca or the Plumaris, where people passed the long and cold winter nights.

The road connecting with Villarrica was inaugurated in 1940. This allowed a greater influx of visitors, many of which finally stayed permanently, attracted by the landscape and its commercial potential.

Certainly fishing was one of the first tourist attractions and boosted services related to this activity. In fact it was said that Pucon was the fisherman's heaven and the birth of the town is owed to it.

As the years went by the commercial interest turned wholly towards tourism. The basic ingredients were there, and the friendliness of its people and beauty of landscape captivated every visitor. By then it was the custom for local families to offer accommodation to tourists, giving them an important additional income. Afterwards hostels and hotels were built, boosting community development and employing local workforce. What we now know as Pucon is the result of these and many other historical facts.