Patagonia was originally claimed by the Spanish. However, following the British-Argentinian War between 1872 and 1884, the British dominance expanded southward from New Cardiff colony to the Tierra del Fuego and remained so until it gained self-governance status within the British Empire in 1934. Initially, the settlements, mostly by the Welsh and the Scots, only concentrated on the areas near New Cardiff and the northern frontiers. The gold rushes of the late 19th century in the Tierra del Fuego led to the founding of numerous small settlements by immigrants from Europe, Chile and Argentina in the southern frontiers.