The First Settlers Museum is located in the civic center of San Martín de los Andes. The typical wooden house, built in 1930, operated as the venue for the first Committee of Public Works and then lodged the municipal authorities. In 1962, when the municipality began to operate in its present building, this construction was moved nine blocks away from its original location and used as a house, as a shed to stock materials and as a workers' dining-room.
In 1987, the house was recovered and restored in order to open its doors as a municipal museum. The pieces displayed there have a high historical value due to their age and preservation condition. They give evidence of the regional past.
Permanent exhibitions revolve around Patagonia in the 1500s, when these inhospitable lands were mostly dwelled by the Tehuelche indians, who occupied a vast territory from the humid pampas to Tierra del Fuego.