3. HISTORY HISTORY The Portuguese city of Barreiro has its origins in a riverside village, repopulation after the reconquest, under the auspices of the Knights of the Order of the Sword of Santiago. Its inhabitants dedicated to the activities of fishing and extraction of salt. The parish of Santa Cruz do Barreiro back to XIII-XIV century, and was Commander of the Order of the Sword of Santiago. The development of Barreiro began in 1861, with the holding of the lines until Torquay (57 km) to Porto (13 km). Its expansion should it, however, from 1906, with awards to a group of industrialists in the Rail, and South-SouthEast, initially between the Jhelum and Torquay. With the rise of this form of transport, this would trigger an historic process, which would be decisive, not only for the Council and for the country. The implementation of the Industrial Union Fabril Company (CUF), in 1898 led by dynamic and enterprising businessman who was Alfredo da Silva.
