Silveira Martins, Río Grande do Sul

Today Silveira Martins is one of the municipalities included in what is called "Quarta Colônia" (Fourth Colony). This area is called the Fourth Colony because it was the fourth center of Italian settlement in southern Brazil. A number of Volga German families also settled there.       

Silveira Martins was founded in April and May in 1877 and was then known as "Città Bianca" (white city), because the tents were covered with white sheets. In 1878, the name was changed to "Nueva Cittá" (new city). In 1879, the town was named in honor of Gaspar Silveira Martins, an important politician at the time.