Two hundred years ago, in 1812, the Russian settlement of Fort Ross appeared in northern California, which became the southernmost Russian colony on the American continent. Created with a good purpose - to supply food to the Russian colony in Alaska - after 30 years, the fort was sold for almost nothing …
OUR FIRST
That cool, cloudy day in March 1812 was the beginning of a new life for the Californian Kashaya Indians. Shocked, they stood, watching as a large sailing ship anchored in a small bay at the foot of the cliff, on the top of which was their small village. Then people went ashore and set about arranging the camp. And these people were not Spaniards or Americans - California met the first Russian colonists. However, the first meeting of the Russians with California took place somewhat earlier - in April 1806, when Count Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov arrived in the San Francisco Bay on the schooner Juno as “the imperial inspector and plenipotentiary of the Russian-American Company”. He knew that the Spaniards, who considered themselves masters on this land, forbade all foreign ships to trade, but on April 5, 1806.he boldly led his ship at the mouth of the harbor, past the Spanish guns. For the next six weeks, the Juno anchored in San Francisco Bay while Rezanov negotiated with the Spanish authorities. The commandant of San Francisco, Don Jose Arguello, flatly refused to sell anything to the Russians, and the 15-year-old daughter of the commandant, Maria Concepcion, decided to help the count (her relatives called her Conchita). The girl fell in love with 42-year-old handsome Rezanov, and for his sake persuaded her father to help the Russians. In gratitude (and as a sign of male sympathy), Count Nikolai Petrovich presented her with a diadem from the imperial treasury. As we know, the count became engaged to Conchita, although the girl's family flatly refused to marry her to a Russian nobleman, she was a Catholic, and Rezanov was Orthodox. To marry, the count needed the permission of the Pope,and he promised to get it. Taking an oath from his bride (she had to wait for him for two years), on May 21, 1806, Nikolai Rezanov went on the Juno to Novoarkhangelsk (now Sitka), the capital of Russian Alaska, and then to Russia. On the way, he fell ill and died, and Conchita remained faithful to him, even after receiving the news of his death. For forty years she refused all applicants for her hand, and then she took monastic vows altogether under the name Maria Dominga. She died at the age of 67 in 1857, next to her grave, over time, a memorial from the Historical Society of California appeared - well, such a love is worthy of a monument! Like everyone's favorite performance "Juno and Avos" …and then to Russia. On the way, he fell ill and died, and Conchita remained faithful to him, even after receiving the news of his death. For forty years she refused all applicants for her hand, and then she took monastic vows altogether under the name Maria Dominga. She died at the age of 67 in 1857, next to her grave, over time, a memorial from the Historical Society of California appeared - well, such a love is worthy of a monument! Like everyone's favorite performance "Juno and Avos" …and then to Russia. On the way, he fell ill and died, and Conchita remained faithful to him, even after receiving the news of his death. For forty years she refused all applicants for her hand, and then she took monastic vows altogether under the name Maria Dominga. She died at the age of 67 in 1857, next to her grave, over time, a memorial from the Historical Society of California appeared - well, such a love is worthy of a monument! Like everyone's favorite performance "Juno and Avos" …Like everyone's favorite performance "Juno and Avos" …Like everyone's favorite performance "Juno and Avos" …
TWO EXPEDITIONS, TWO FATE …
Perhaps this story is the only romantic episode in the Russian assimilation of California. Everything else is very dramatic. On September 29, 1808, two ships belonging to the Russian-American campaign left the bay of Novoarkhangelsk: "Kodiak" and "St. Nicholas". The first was to survey the coast of California north of San Francisco and find a suitable place to settle. And the ship "Saint Nicholas" was to sail to the mouth of the Columbia River and found another Russian fort. The storm broke the scouts on the rocks, and the surviving sailors on the shore were attacked by the Indians. Most of the participants in that expedition died - in captivity, from wounds, from hunger … Few of the survivors returned home years later. The captain of the "Saint Nicholas" was not lucky - he died in captivity with his wife. The path of "Kodiak" turned out to be happier:On January 8, 1809, the sailors entered Bodega Bay (he was given the name of Count N. P. Rumyantsev), then the travelers discovered the mouth of the river, which they named Slavyanka (now it bears the name Russian River). The place for the future fortress was looked after on a high rocky shore, protected from the east by a mountain ridge and century-old thickets of sequoia. Nearby - pastures, timber and the best climate on the coast. They solemnly buried a copper plaque with an engraved inscription: "Land of Russian possession."They solemnly buried a copper plaque with an engraved inscription: "Land of Russian possession."They solemnly buried a copper plaque with an engraved inscription: "Land of Russian possession."
Promotional video:
FORTRESS FOR CENTURIES
In 1812, the ship "Chirikov" entered the bay with Russian settlers, and they immediately negotiated with the Kashaya Indians, who agreed to sell their territories to the Russians for … three blankets, three pairs of pants, two axes, three hoes and several strings of beads! Good deal! On the day of the namesake of Tsar Alexander I, after a solemn divine service, the settlement was named Ross (the term Fort Ross was coined by the Americans in the middle of the 19th century). Experienced carpenters, shipbuilders, a blacksmith, a miller were brought in for the construction of the fort - they brought together the best craftsmen in the area. In the first years, the life of the fort was mainly provided by fishing for sea otters - the profit from the sale of their skins reached 1000%! American historian C. Green wrote with sincere admiration about the skill of the settlers of Fort Ross: “An ax resembling a poleaxe,was used for both felling trees and carving wood products, the craftsmanship of the people was amazing. After all these years, the logs of the bastions adhere so tightly to each other in the corners, where they have not undergone decay, that the blade of a penknife will not pass, and the surfaces are pristinely even. Great detail is inherent in all their work. " Inside the fortification was the house of the chief of the fort, barracks, warehouses and a well. And outside the fortress there were craftsmen's houses, a windmill (the first in California), a smithy, cattle yards, workshops and a bathhouse. In 1824, an Orthodox chapel was finally built. Great detail is inherent in all their work. " Inside the fortification was the house of the chief of the fort, barracks, warehouses and a well. And outside the fortress there were craftsmen's houses, a windmill (the first in California), a smithy, cattle yards, workshops and a bathhouse. In 1824, an Orthodox chapel was finally built. Great detail is inherent in all their work. " Inside the fortification was the house of the chief of the fort, barracks, warehouses and a well. And outside the fortress there were craftsmen's houses, a windmill (the first in California), a smithy, stockyards, workshops and a bathhouse. In 1824, an Orthodox chapel was finally built.
PI DE PALO "WOODEN FOOT"
The first head of the fort, the brave Ivan Kuskov, whom the Spaniards called Pi de Palu (translated as "wooden leg"), served here for almost 10 years. Despite the prosthesis, the owner of the fort was strong, cocky, stern … They were afraid of him. But he was also famous for his honesty, and when receiving "big guests", he surprised them with the achievements of civilization, unexpected in such a wild place. The wife of the head of the fortress, Ekaterina Prokhorovna, a "natural American" by birth, was his main assistant - her intelligence and diplomatic abilities were appreciated by all neighboring Indian tribes! She opened a school for Russian and Indian children, and developed a powerful agricultural activity: bread, potatoes, and various vegetables were grown in the fort. By the way, it was here that the first California orchards and vineyards appeared!The appearance of the Russians in California alarmed the Spaniards, who considered the local lands their possessions. However, the Russians insisted that the border of the Spanish possessions north of San Francisco was not defined, and the local Indians did not obey the Spaniards. Nevertheless, every year, first the Spanish and then the Mexican authorities protested against the "occupation" of the Russian lands on which Ross was located. Everyone demanded that "ours" leave the fort. It is interesting that between the Indians and the Russians, unlike other Californian colonists, there were practically no armed clashes. And there was no mention of the massacre that very soon unfolded on the continent!and the local Indians do not obey the Spaniards. Nevertheless, every year, first the Spanish and then the Mexican authorities protested against the "occupation" of the Russian lands on which Ross was located. Everyone demanded that "ours" leave the fort. It is interesting that between the Indians and the Russians, unlike other Californian colonists, there were practically no armed clashes. And there was no mention of the massacre that very soon unfolded on the continent!and the local Indians do not obey the Spaniards. Nevertheless, every year, first the Spanish and then the Mexican authorities protested against the "occupation" of the Russian lands on which Ross was located. Everyone demanded that "ours" leave the fort. It is interesting that between the Indians and the Russians, unlike other Californian colonists, there were practically no armed clashes. And there was no mention of the massacre that very soon unfolded on the continent!which very soon unfolded on the continent - there was not a trace!which very soon unfolded on the continent - there was not a trace!
AN GLORIOUS END
All the years of the existence of the Californian settlement, the Russian-American company has counted losses. By the mid-1830s, hunters had wiped out almost the entire sea otter population, and the fur trade had come to naught. And then the need for food supplies from Fort Ross to Alaska disappeared. The company had no practical benefit. And the political foresight of the Russian government did not differ … In 1839, it was decided to sell Ross, and a year later a citizen of Mexico of Swiss origin John Sutter bought him for 42,857 rubles in silver. As payment, he supplied wheat to Alaska, but, according to the testimony of the state inspector P. N. Golovin, and underpaid 37.5 thousand! So ingloriously, Fort Ross ceased to be a Russian colony, and all the employees were transported to Novoarkhangelsk. The era of the conquest of North America by Russian subjects is over. Today Fort Ross is a California State Historical Park. After many years of destruction and oblivion, it was restored: the buildings were restored and the fortress was repaired, and every year a cheerful folk festival is held on the territory of the fort. But I wasn’t having fun, I was thinking that Fort Ross could be a thriving corner of Russia in Northern California. And it became a sad reminder of the heroic Russian sailors who were exploring new lands, and mediocre politicians who were draining national wealth …And it became a sad reminder of the heroic Russian sailors who were exploring new lands, and mediocre politicians who were draining national wealth …And it became a sad reminder of the heroic Russian sailors who were exploring new lands, and mediocre politicians who were draining national wealth …
Anastasia GROSS