Russian colonization of North America

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. 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

Russian explorers were the first Europeans to reach Alaska. Russian sailors may have arrived earlier, but there is no proof.

In 1648, a sailor named Semyon Dezhnev sailed through the Arctic Ocean 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.

In 1732, Ivan Fedorov saw the Alaskan coastline from a ship near Cape Prince of Wales, close to the Bering Strait. He did not land.

The first actual landing in Alaska was in 1741. It was part of a big journey led by Vitus Bering and Aleksei Chirikov, called the Second Kamchatka expedition. Chirikov’s ship saw land and sent men to shore, making them the first Europeans on the northwest coast of North America.

Trading Company

Imperial Russia was different from other European empires because it did not help pay for trips or new settlements. The first company to get help for work in the Americas was the Shelikhov-Golikov Company led by Grigory Shelikhov and Ivan Larionovich Golikov. In the 1780s, many companies worked in Russian America. Shelikhov asked the government to let his company be the only one, but in 1788, Catherine II said his company could only have control where it already worked. Other traders could still work in other places.

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. The RAC was Russia's first joint stock company and was run by Russia's Ministry of Commerce.

Russian Colonization

In the 1740s, Russian fur-traders began visiting the Aleutian Islands. They asked the Aleut people to help hunt animals for furs.

In 1784, a Russian trader named Grigory Shelekhov started a settlement in Alaska. He hired Alexander Baranov to manage the fur trade. Baranov built new settlements, including one that later became the city of Sitka.

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.

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

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 became friends with local families, which helped them build trust.

Purchase of Alaska

In the 1860s, Russia decided to sell its colony in North America, called Russian America. There were very few animals left to hunt for fur, and other countries wanted the same land. Russia also had money problems after a war and was worried about losing the land without getting anything. 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.

Legacy

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
• St. Paul, Alaska – 1788
• Fort St. Nicholas in Kenai, Alaska – 1791
• Pavlovskaya, Alaska (now Kodiak) – 1791
• Fort Saints Constantine and Helen on Nuchek Island, Alaska – 1793
• Fort on Hinchinbrook Island, Alaska – 1793
• 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
• Fort (New) Alexandrovsk at Bristol Bay, Alaska – 1819
• 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