Pau dos Ferros is a Brazilian municipality in the interior of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in the Northeast Region of Brazil. Covering an area of 260 km², it is located 389 km from Natal, the state capital. Emancipated from Portalegre in the 19th century, the name refers to a tree, likely an oiticica, which, due to its large size, provided shade and served as a resting place for cowboys who passed through the area, marking their brands with iron on the trunks of these trees, thus initiating the region's settlement.
As the main city of the Alto Oeste region, its population in the 2022 census was 30,479 inhabitants, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), making it the 18th most populous municipality in Rio Grande do Norte. However, due to the city's regional hub influence, which extends to over thirty neighboring municipalities, approximately 50,000 people pass through the municipal seat daily.
The municipality boasts several historical and cultural attractions, including the Dr. Pedro Diógenes Fernandes Public Reservoir, which supplies the city's water, and the Nossa Senhora da Conceição Church, built in 1738 and established as a parish church in 1756. Additionally, the Obelisk at Praça Monsenhor Caminha was erected to commemorate the centenary of political emancipation and the bicentenary of the parish. Cultural highlights include the Intermunicipal Fair of Education, Culture, Tourism, and Business of Alto Oeste Potiguar (FINECAP), a significant cultural and economic exposition, and the festivities honoring the patron saint Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, held from late November to early December.
History
From origins to emancipation For a long time, the area of present-day Pau dos Ferros was inhabited by the Panati indigenous people. Between the late 17th and early 18th centuries, cowboys and travelers crossing the sertão discovered a watercourse, later named the Apodi River, surrounded by large, leafy trees that soon became resting spots during long, exhausting journeys. Along this river, trading posts were established, where cattle were sold and branded on the trunks of these trees.
In 1717, during the colonial period, Manoel Negrão became the first grantee of a sesmaria, which was later donated to Colonel Antônio da Rocha Pita, who owned vast lands in the provinces of Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte. Upon his death in 1733, this sesmaria, named "Pau dos Ferros," was inherited by his children Francisco da Rocha Pita, Luiz da Rocha Pita Deusdará, Simão da Fonseca, and Maria Joana, all of whom were pioneers in establishing a small settlement with many mud houses around the sesmaria. The most significant pioneer was the farmer Francisco Marçal, who founded a cattle ranch and, through great efforts, was responsible for building a chapel in 1738, which became the parish church of a large freguesia on December 19, 1756, with the creation of the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish, with Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as its patron saint.Andrade, Manoel Caminha Freire de et al. Commemorative Magazine of the Bicentenary of the Parish and Centenary of the Municipality of Pau dos Ferros (1756-1856-1956). 2nd ed. Natal: Sebo, 2015. 206 p.Barreto, José Jácome. Pau dos Ferros: History, Tradition, and Reality. Natal: Clima, 1987.
In 1761, the settlement was incorporated into the village of Portalegre, which, being located in the mountains 33 kilometers from Pau dos Ferros, hindered local commerce and access for residents. In the western zone of Rio Grande do Norte, only three settlements existed at the time: Apodi, Portalegre, and Pau dos Ferros, with the latter experiencing steady growth due to its strategic location between two large mountain ranges. Meanwhile, two other mountain settlements, Luís Gomes and São Miguel, began to gain prominence.
In the 19th century, starting in 1841, residents of the settlement gathered 492 signatures in a petition to elevate Pau dos Ferros to the status of a village. The proposal was submitted to the provincial assembly and approved by the Statistics and Justice Committee but failed to pass in the plenary session. A second attempt in 1847, also unsuccessful, was made when deputy João Inácio de Loiola Barros proposed transferring the village seat from Portalegre to Pau dos Ferros on October 21. On April 12, 1853, provincial deputies Luiz Antônio de Brito Guerra (Baron of Assu) and Elias Antônio Cavalcanti de Albuquerque introduced a new proposal to create a village named Vila Cristina, which was also rejected.
Finally, on August 23, 1856, deputy Bevenuto Vicente Fialho presented a new proposal to the provincial assembly in Natal. This project was approved and became provincial law no. 344, sanctioned on September 4 by Governor Antônio Bernardo Passos, elevating the settlement to village status, separating it from Portalegre nearly a century after the parish’s creation. The name "Pau dos Ferros" derives from a tree, likely an oiticica, marked with iron brands by cowboys who rested under its expansive shade after long journeys.
From emancipation to centenary
On January 19, 1857, the municipality was officially established in a solemn session at the municipal council, with Manoel Silvestre Ferreira as its first president. On December 1, 1859, the city’s free market was created, which was briefly interrupted but restored in 1868 and has since been held weekly on Saturdays. In 1872, during the first national census, Pau dos Ferros was the third most populous municipality in the province, with 18,637 inhabitants, surpassed only by Nova Cruz (20,466) and Natal (19,126). On August 8, 1873, provincial law no. 683 established the Pau dos Ferros District, separated from the Imperatriz district, now Martins.
Following a major cholera epidemic in 1862, which killed 199 people according to official records, Pau dos Ferros was struck by a severe drought in 1877, lasting three years—the worst in Brazil’s history—followed by outbreaks of measles, smallpox, and dysentery, which further decimated the population due to the lack of hospitals and healthcare facilities. Earlier, in 1876, Pau dos Ferros lost territory with the emancipation of São Miguel, which became a municipality. In 1890, Luís Gomes followed suit.
From 1889, the year of the Proclamation of the Republic, construction began on a reservoir, inaugurated on March 25, 1897, and named "25 de Março." Proposed in 1888 by municipal intendant Joaquim José Correia, it supplied water to the local population for decades. Later, the Gangorra Reservoir, now in Rafael Fernandes, was also built. In the early 20th century, in 1908, Joaquim Correia initiated the construction of a school, named after him and inaugurated in 1911, with Orlando Correia as its first director and Idalina Gurjão and Maria Luíza as its first teachers, who served for many years.
In the late 1910s, one of the bloodiest events in Pau dos Ferros’ history occurred, the "1919 massacre," stemming from a local musical group, the Dr. Guilherme Lins Philharmonic Band, composed of opposing political factions. On April 3, 1919, during a meeting at José Ayres Afonso’s residence, disputes escalated into a violent clash. The situation worsened with the arrival of the police, leading to a shootout with rifles, resulting in deaths and injuries among participants. Consequently, Colonel Joaquim Correia left Pau dos Ferros and settled in Natal. On December 2, 1924, the village of Pau dos Ferros was elevated to city status by state law no. 593, signed by Governor José Augusto Bezerra de Medeiros.
In 1926, the bandit Virgulino Ferreira da Silva, known as Lampião, and his gang entered Pau dos Ferros, committing various thefts, as the city had only one civil policeman at the time. In 1929, Picuí native Francisco Dantas de Araújo became the first mayor of Pau dos Ferros, overseeing the construction of the current municipal headquarters in 1930, located on Getúlio Vargas Avenue. That same year, following the October 24 Revolutionary Movement, he was deposed, and João Escolástico Bezerra de Medeiros took over, introducing electricity to Pau dos Ferros through a coal-powered plant. Another significant event in the 1930s was the election of Pau dos Ferros native Rafael Fernandes Gurjão to the state governorship by the Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Norte, serving from 1935 to 1943.
In 1939, Francisco Fernandes Sena became mayor, overseeing the construction of a public slaughterhouse and the first police station in 1940. On February 11, 1940, Father Manoel Caminha Freire de Andrade was appointed parish vicar, becoming a canon in 1954 and a monsignor in 1966, serving until 1991 when he retired due to health issues. From January 31 to March 15, 1946, Eulália Fernandes Bessa became the first woman to serve as mayor, appointed by federal intervener Miguel Seabra Fagundes.
In the early 1950s, during Dr. Licurgo Nunes Ferreira’s administration (1948–1953), construction began on the municipal pavilion at Praça da Matriz, later named "Cônego Caminha," becoming a key leisure area. Its upper floor housed a dance hall where the band Os Brasas performed. His administration also saw the construction and inauguration of the 31 de Março School, now the Dr. José Fernandes de Melo State School. In 1953, construction began on the Patronato, inaugurated on July 19, 1954, by the Daughters of Charity. That same year, the parish vicar brought a statue of Our Lady of Fátima from Portugal, marking one of the municipality’s most significant religious events, and through community efforts, built a chapel in her honor on 13 de Maio Street, inaugurated in 1956. In 1955, the Banco do Nordeste agency arrived in the municipality.
From the centenary to the present day
On September 4, 1956, Pau dos Ferros celebrated its centennial of political emancipation. That year, several events marked the city’s centenary and the parish’s bicentenary, including the inauguration of the Obelisk at Monsenhor Caminha Square on December 14. Designed by Bahian architect Oscar de Sousa Lelis at the request of then-mayor José Fernandes de Melo, the monument was a highlight of the celebrations. In July 1956, the Pau dos Ferros Centenary Hospital was founded, with Nelson Maia as its founder and director.
In 1958, Mayor Paulo Diógenes built the current "4 de Setembro State School" and over 40 kilometers of roads and streets, including the Independence Avenue. On January 1, 1961, Dom Eliseu Simões Mendes founded the Santa Luzia de Marilac Maternity, maintained by the parish’s social assistance league. From 1963 to 1969, during Pedro Diógenes Fernandes’ administration, notable achievements included the creation of the municipal flag, the installation of the first telephones, and the construction of the Pau dos Ferros Dam, which began in 1965 and was completed in 1967. In 1966, the city’s main entertainment venue, Cine São João, opened on Rua 7 de Setembro, at a time when television was not yet available in the city.