The Magellan Times was founded in 1914, during the boom years of the early 20th century, by Charles Arthur Thomas Riesco. Born 1881 in Britain, to a Chilean diplomat and a Scottish mother, Riesco identified strongly with his country of birth, and was an active participant in the British Club of Punta Arenas. A stockbroker, he was well off, with a taste for horse-racing. The Magellan Times, which he owned and edited, was the longest-running English-language newspaper published in the region.
 
Reflecting the social preferences of its editor, the paper catered to the middle and upper classes of the local expatriate community. By 1920, 1000 copies were being printed weekly. It was circulated throughout the estancias of southern Patagonia, from Tierra del Fuego in the south to the northern reaches of Santa Cruz province, Argentina. In these isolated communities, the paper was reportedly shared among British expatriates at all levels. It must clearly have played a major role in supplying local and international news, as well as shaping opinion in the war years. Riesco died in 1931, but the paper continued in publication until 1936.
 
The first edition (7 Jan 1914) is representative of the style and level of detail, which were maintained over the years. The persons listed are known to have been British, or had surnames which suggest a possible British connection.