Russian colonization of North America

From 1732 to 1867, the Russian Empire claimed parts of the northern Pacific Coast of North America. These areas were called Russian America. They included most of what is now Alaska and a small outpost at Fort Ross in California.

Russian explorers first reached the Pacific Ocean in 1639. In 1725, Emperor Peter the Great sent navigator Vitus Bering to explore the area. Bering’s journeys helped Russia claim parts of Alaska. The Russians were especially interested in the many fur-bearing animals there, because the supplies in Siberia had run low.

Over time, Russian traders set up settlements and worked with local people. However, relations were not always easy, and there were conflicts. By the mid-1800s, it had become hard to make money from the fur trade, and Russia decided to sell its North American lands. In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million, ending its time as a colonial power in North America.

Exploration

The earliest records show that Russian explorers were the first Europeans to reach Alaska. Some stories suggest that Russian sailors may have arrived even earlier, but there is no proof.

In 1648, a sailor named Semyon Dezhnev traveled through the Arctic Ocean and around the eastern edge of Asia. There is a legend that some of his boats might have reached Alaska, but no settlements were left behind.

The first time the Alaskan coastline was seen was in 1732 by Ivan Fedorov from a ship near Cape Prince of Wales, close to the Bering Strait. He did not land.

The first actual landing in Alaska happened in 1741 during an expedition led by Vitus Bering and Aleksei Chirikov. They were part of a big journey called the Second Kamchatka expedition. Chirikov’s ship saw land and sent men to shore, making them the first Europeans to step onto the northwest coast of North America. Bering’s ship later crashed on Bering Island, where he got sick and passed away. The survivors built a new boat and returned to Russia in 1742, bringing back valuable sea otter pelts that led to Russian settlement in Alaska.

Because Russia was far away and the land was hard to reach, the next big expedition didn’t happen until 1766. Later, between 1774 and 1800, Spain also sent expeditions to Alaska but gave up their claims after the Nootka Crisis. In the early 1800s, important trips led by Adam Johann von Krusenstern and Nikolai Rezanov gave scientists much information about Alaska and California.

Trading company

Main article: Russian-American Company

Imperial Russia was different from other European empires because it did not support foreign expeditions or settlements with government help. The first company to get support for such activities in the Americas was the Shelikhov-Golikov Company led by Grigory Shelikhov and Ivan Larionovich Golikov. During the 1780s, many companies were active in Russian America. Shelikhov asked the government for exclusive control, but in 1788, Catherine II decided his company could only have exclusive rights where it already operated. Other traders could still work in other areas.

The Shelikhov-Golikov Company later became the Russian-American Company (RAC). In 1799, the new Tsar Paul I gave the company control over trade in the Aleutian Islands and parts of North America south to 55° north latitude.^: 102  The RAC was Russia's first joint stock company and was managed by Russia's Ministry of Commerce. At first, merchants from Irkutsk were the main owners, but later the company's owners were mostly from Russia's nobility and aristocracy living in Saint Petersburg. The company built settlements in places that are now Alaska, Hawaii, and California.

Russian colonization

1740s to 1800

Further information: Russian-American Company, Aleutian Islands, and promyshlenniki

In the 1740s, small groups of fur-traders from Russia began traveling to the Aleutian Islands. Instead of hunting themselves, Russian traders made the Aleut people do the work, often by taking family members as hostages in exchange for furs. This led to competition among Russian companies, and many Aleuts were forced into difficult situations.

As animal populations decreased, the Aleuts had to hunt in more dangerous waters. In 1784, a Russian trader named Grigory Shelekhov arrived in Alaska and established a settlement. He later hired Alexander Baranov to manage the fur trade, who moved the colony and started families with local people. Baranov also built new settlements, including one that later became the city of Sitka.

1800 to 1867

By 1804, Baranov had strengthened the Russian hold on fur trade activities. The Russians operated a settlement in California called Fort Ross from 1812 to 1841. However, by the 1830s, their control over trade was weakening as other companies began to compete. Russian outposts often relied on foreign merchants for supplies, which sometimes caused problems.

Colonies

The first Russian colony in Alaska was founded in 1784 by Grigory Shelikhov. Russian explorers and settlers set up trading posts in mainland Alaska, on the Aleutian Islands, Hawaii, and Northern California.

Alaska

See also: Alaska boundary dispute

The Russian-American Company began in 1799 to hunt sea otters for their fur. At its peak, the colonies had about 4,000 people, most of whom were Aleuts, Tlingits, and other Native Alaskans. There were usually fewer than 500 Russians.

California

Main article: Fort Ross, California

In 1812, the Russians built a place called Fortress Ross near Bodega Bay in Northern California, north of San Francisco Bay. By 1818, Fort Ross had 128 people, including 26 Russians and 102 Native Americans. The Russians left the area in 1841. Today, Fort Ross is a Federal National Historical Landmark and part of Fort Ross State Historic Park in California.

Missionary activity

Further information: Russian Orthodox Church and Alaskan Creole people

In Alaska, Russian missionaries built schools to teach local people to read and write in Russian. They also brought the Russian Orthodox faith to the area. Some traders formed close bonds with local families, which helped them build trust. The missionaries worked to protect local people from unfair treatment and shared their experiences in reports.

The Russian government supported these missionary efforts, and a special home was built for a church leader in a main settlement. Despite challenges, the missionaries tried to respect local traditions and encouraged local people to take leadership roles in their communities. They created schools to teach reading, writing, math, and religion, and helped develop writing systems for local languages. Today, many people in Alaska still practice the Russian Orthodox faith, which blends their traditions with Christian teachings.

Purchase of Alaska

Main article: Alaska Purchase

By the 1860s, Russia decided to sell its colony in North America, known as Russian America. The number of animals that could be hunted for fur had become very small, and other countries were competing for the same area. Russia also had money problems after a war and worried about losing the land without getting anything in return. Because of this, Tsar Alexander II told Russian leaders to talk with the United States about selling the land.

In March 1867, the United States agreed to buy Alaska for $7.2 million, which was 2 cents for every acre. The sale happened on April 9, 1867. After this, Russia sold all its buildings and lands to the United States. Some local tribes felt that only one piece of land, called Castle Hill, should have been sold, and they believed their land had been taken without their agreement. These land issues were not fully solved until much later in the 20th century.

At its height, about 700 Russians lived in the area, along with around 40,000 Aleut people. After the sale, some Russians left, while others moved to places like the Pacific Northwest and California.

Legacy

In 1990 and 1991, the Soviet Union made special coins to celebrate 250 years since Russia first claimed Alaska, which was part of a place called Russian America. These coins were made from silver, platinum, and palladium.

The number of Alaska Native people got smaller over time because of diseases. By 1880, there were fewer than half as many as there had been in 1741. It wasn't until 1947 that their numbers went back up again. Even after the United States bought Alaska, Alaska Native peoples believed they still had rights to the land. Later, the U.S. government gave them control of many acres of land.

In recent years, some people in Russia have jokingly talked about wanting to get Alaska back, though this is not a serious plan.

Russian settlements in North America

Here are some important places that Russia built in North America between 1774 and 1847:

• Unalaska, Alaska – 1774
• Three Saints Bay, Alaska – 1784
• Fort St. George in Kasilof, Alaska – 1786^{[citation needed]}
• St. Paul, Alaska – 1788
• Fort St. Nicholas in Kenai, Alaska – 1791^{[citation needed]}
• Pavlovskaya, Alaska (now Kodiak) – 1791
• Fort Saints Constantine and Helen on Nuchek Island, Alaska – 1793^{[citation needed]}
• Fort on Hinchinbrook Island, Alaska – 1793^{[citation needed]}
• New Russia near present-day Yakutat, Alaska – 1796
• Redoubt St. Archangel Michael, Alaska near Sitka – 1799
• Novo-Arkhangelsk, Alaska (now Sitka) – 1804
• Fort Ross, California – 1812
• Fort Elizabeth near Waimea, Kaua'i, Hawai'i – 1817
• Fort Alexander near Hanalei, Kaua'i, Hawai'i – 1817
• Fort Barclay-de-Tolly near Hanalei, Kaua'i, Hawai'i – 1817^{[citation needed]}
• Fort (New) Alexandrovsk at Bristol Bay, Alaska – 1819^{[citation needed]}
• Kolmakov Redoubt, Alaska – 1832
• Redoubt St. Michael, Alaska – 1833
• Nulato, Alaska – 1834
• Redoubt St. Dionysius in present-day Wrangell, Alaska (now Fort Stikine) – 1834
• Pokrovskaya Mission, Alaska – 1837
• Ninilchik, Alaska – 1847