Russians in Alaska. 100 years of colonization of the American coast

A region in the northwest of North America, currently a US state.

Etymology and early settlers

The name comes from the Aleutian “alakshak” (large land, mainland, not an island). The first inhabitants of North America moved to this continent through Alaska 40 thousand years ago or later. The proto-Indian site Mesa dates back more than 11 thousand years ago. By the time the Europeans arrived, Alaska was settled.

Discovery of Alaska

In 1648, an expedition passed through the Bering Strait and may have seen the shores of Alaska. On August 21, 1732, during the expedition of A. Shestakov and D. Pavlutsky (1729-1735), the boat “St. Gabriel” under the leadership of S. Gvozdev and I. Fedorov (Cape Prince of Wales). In 1745, there was a skirmish between the Russians and the Aleuts on the island of Attu. From 1758, Russian "industrialists" lived from time to time in the Aleutian Islands, hunted, traded with the Aleuts and collected tribute (yasak) from them. In 1763-1765, the Aleuts rebelled, but were defeated. In 1772, the first permanent trading settlement was established on Unalaska Island. In 1761, the traveler G. Pushkarev reported on the discovery of a large land in these places. The expeditions of P. Krenitsyn - M. Levashov (1764-1769) and I. Billings - G. Sarychev (1785-1795) set the task of securing Russia's rights to Alaska and bringing the population into Russian citizenship.

In 1774, the Spaniards approached Alaska, and in 1778 D. Cook. In 1784, an expedition under the command of G. Shelekhov founded the settlement of Tryokhsvyatitelskoye on Kodiak Island. Since 1794, an Orthodox mission headed by Archimandrite (since 1799 - Bishop) Joasaph began to operate here. In 1791, Fort St. Nicholas.

Russian-American company

On July 8, 1799, the Russian-American Company (RAC) was created by decree for the monopoly development and management of Azerbaijan. A. Baranov was appointed the chief ruler of Alaska. Since 1796, he built the center of Alaska in Yakutat Bay: the Yakutat fortress and the city of Novorossiysk. However, Yakutat suffered from attacks by the natives and supply difficulties, and in 1805 the Russian settlement here was destroyed by the Tlingit during the war of 1802-1805, which delayed the advance of the Russians deep into Alaska. The center of Russian Alaska was moved to Novo-Arkhangelsk (now Sitka). In 1821, foreign trade was banned in Alaska. On February 28, 1825, the border was established between the Russian-American Company and the British Hudson's Bay Company (now the border between the United States and Canada). Russia thus received rights to 586,412 square miles (1,518,800 km²). However, she was unable to master them. The population of "Russian" Alaska and the Aleutian Islands was about 2,500 Russians and several tens of thousands of Indians and Eskimos.

By the middle of the 19th century, RAC was unprofitable. The Governor-General of Eastern Siberia in 1853 offered to sell Alaska. At the same time, it showed the vulnerability of Russian possessions remote from the center.

Sale of Alaska

In 1854, the US showed interest in acquiring Alaska (at least temporarily, to prevent its takeover by Britain). The RAC negotiated this with the American-Russian Trading Company, controlled by the US government, as well as the settlement of relations with the British Hudson's Bay Company.

In 1857, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich made a proposal to sell Alaska in a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs A. Gorchakov, who supported this idea. In 1862, the RAC's privileges were expiring, and after that Russia was ready to discuss the terms of the sale, but the matter was put on hold until finalized. In the US, the idea of ​​buying Alaska was actively supported by Senator Ch. Sumner, who became chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee.

At a meeting with the emperor on December 16 (28), 1866, with the participation of Grand Duke Konstantin, the ministers of finance and the naval ministry, the Russian envoy to the USA, E. Stekl, the idea of ​​the sale was unanimously approved. The threshold of the amount below which Russia would not agree to cede Alaska was set at 5 million dollars in gold. On December 22, 1866, Alexander II approved the border of the ceded territory: the Alaska Peninsula along the line running along the meridian of 141 ° west longitude, then along the ridge of mountains parallel to the coast to 56 ° north latitude and Prince of Wales Island, including the Alexander archipelago, the Aleutian and other islands.

In March 1867, Steckl reminded U.S. Secretary of State W. Steward "of the proposals that have been made in the past for the sale of our colonies" and added that "at present the imperial government is disposed to enter into negotiations." President E. Johnson approved the start of negotiations. At a second meeting on March 14, 1867, Seward and Steckl discussed the main provisions of the future treaty.

On March 30, 1867, an agreement was signed on the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States for 7.2 million dollars in gold. Together with the territory of the United States received all real estate and archives.

On May 3 (15), 1867, the treaty was ratified by Alexander II, on October 6 (18), 1867, the Governing Senate adopted a decree on the implementation of the "Highest ratified convention on the cession of the Russian North American Colonies to the United States of America."

The treaty could not be ratified by the US Congress as the congressional session ended. Johnson called an emergency executive session of the Senate. A discussion unfolded in the Senate, as some senators believed that after the end of the destructive war, such a purchase would be difficult for the US budget. It turned out that payment would be made through Stekl's personal account. However, the treaty was ratified by 37 votes to 2. On June 8, 1867, the instruments of ratification were exchanged. On October 6-7 (18-19), 1867, Alaska was officially transferred to the United States. The signing ceremony took place in Novo-Arkhangelsk (Sitka) aboard the US sloop Ossip.

Immediately after the transfer of Alaska to the United States, American troops arrived in Sitka.

Of the 11,362,481 rubles 94 kopecks received from the United States, most (10,972,238 rubles 4 kopecks) was spent on the purchase of supplies abroad for railways: the Kursk-Kiev, Ryazan-Kozlov, Moscow-Ryazan and others. Thus, the sale of Alaska gave impetus to railway construction, which became one of the most important features of Russia's post-reform development.

Since 1867, the "Department of Alaska" was under the jurisdiction of the US Department of War, since 1877 - the Ministry of Finance, since 1879 - the Department of the Navy. The first governor was General J. Davis. On May 17, 1884, Alaska became a special administrative district headed by an appointed governor (the first of them was J. Kinkid). The affairs of Alaska began to be handled by various departments of the US federal government.

About 200 Russians and more than 1,500 Russian-speaking Creoles remained in Alaska. Alaska was part of the ninth judicial district of the United States, which also included the states of Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. The closest judges lived in California and Oregon. It wasn't until 1934 that Alaskans received the status of American citizens.

Golden fever

In 1880, Indian Covey and prospectors J. Juneau and R. Harris found gold, creating the Golden Stream mine. The city of Juneau arose nearby and became the capital of Alaska in 1906. On August 16, 1896, prospectors J. Carmack, J. Skookum, and C. Dawson found gold on Bonanza Creek, which flows into the Klondike River. On July 17, 1897, a cargo of gold worth about half a million dollars arrived in San Francisco. A "gold rush" began in the USA and then in Europe, more than 18 thousand people, hoping for a quick enrichment, rushed to Alaska and western Canada (Yukon). Steam and oil burning were used to combat permafrost. Although the fever zone was located on both sides of the border, it was initially dominated by the self-government of miners, who were guided by supplies from the United States. In 1895, the Canadian Mounted Police began enforcing dominion laws in the Yukon. In Alaska, decisions, including judicial decisions, were made by open vote at a meeting of miners.

As part of the USA

The border between Canada and Alaska was not demarcated. In 1883, the American lieutenant F. Svatka established the approximate position of the 141st meridian, having missed by several kilometers. The geodetic party of W. Ogilvy in 1888 specified the location of the boundary on the ground. At the same time, in order to facilitate the further orientation of residents in the area, it was decided to name the settlements on the Canadian side after Canadian and figures, and on the US side - American ones. Difficulties were presented by demarcation in the south of Alaska in the area of ​​Lake Bennet due to the complex relief and bays. In 1895, the American-Canadian commission made a compromise decision on the border in the area of ​​Lake. Bennet, which went to Canada. The border dispute continued until October 12, 1903, when it was resolved by an international arbitration commission.

Since 1906, Alaska has been represented by a delegate in Congress. On August 24, 1912, Alaska received the status of a territory. In 1913, Governor J. Strong was elected. In 1916, the possibility of turning Alaska into a state was discussed, but this proposal was not supported. In 1917-1918, the McKinley and Katmai reserves (later national parks) were founded. The population of Alaska has grown in the first 20 years of the twentieth century from 44 thousand to 58 thousand people. They mined copper and gold, were engaged in fishing. With the passage of the Merchant Ships Act of 1920, trade with Alaska could only be carried out on US ships, primarily through Seattle. Because of this monopoly in Alaska, prices have risen significantly. At the same time, during the Great Depression, demand and prices for goods produced in Alaska fell. All this hindered the settlement of Alaska, but its development was facilitated by the development of aviation.

On June 3, 1942, Japanese aircraft attacked the naval base Dutch Harbor and Fort Mirs. On June 6, 1942, the Japanese landed on Attu Island, then captured Kiska Island. An airfield was created on Kiska and a large Japanese garrison was present. Admiral T. Kincaid sent the battleships Nevada, Pennsylvania and Idaho, the aircraft carrier Nassau, submarines, cruisers and destroyers to Atta. The 7th Infantry Division of General A. Brown was intended for the landing. On May 11, 1943, American troops landed on the island. Cold and non-flying weather, rugged terrain hampered the advancement of troops and air operations. The US moved 12,000 men to the island against 3,000 Japanese. On May 29, 1943, the commander of the Japanese garrison, Colonel Yasuyo Yamasaki, attacked the Americans without hope of success. After hand-to-hand combat, almost all Japanese soldiers died. The Americans lost 549 killed and 1,148 wounded, 2,100 sick and frostbitten. Only 29 Japanese survived. In August 1943, the Americans landed on Kiska after a powerful bombardment of the island. Shortly before the landing, the Japanese left the island, which the American command did not know about, so that several dozen Americans died from friendly fire during the landing.

On January 3, 1959, Alaska became a state. In 1968, the Prudhoe Bay gas and oil field was discovered. In 1977, an oil pipeline was built from Prudhoe Bay to the port of Valdez. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez disaster resulted in an oil spill that severely damaged Alaska's environment.

Alaska is equal in area to three France. This is not only Klondike gold, but also tungsten, platinum, mercury, molybdenum, coal. And, most importantly, there is the development of giant oil fields, reaching up to eighty-three million tons per year. This is twenty percent of the total US oil production. For comparison: Kuwait produces about sixty-five, and the United Arab Emirates - seventy million tons per year.

Many contemporaries mistakenly believe that Catherine II sold Alaska. But it's not. A similar statement to some extent among young people became popular after the song of the Lyube group "Don't play the fool, America." It says that the empress was not right to do this with this area. Based on this, young people who do not understand history made a conclusion about who gave Alaska to America.

Geographical position

Today Alaska is the largest in area, forty-ninth This is the coldest territory of the country. Most of it is dominated by arctic and subarctic climatic zones. Here the norm is severe frosty winters, accompanied by strong winds and snow blizzards. The only exception is part of the Pacific coast, where climatic conditions are moderate and quite habitable.

Before sale

The history of Alaska (before its transfer to the United States) was connected with the Russian Empire. Back in the eighteenth century, this region belonged undividedly to the Russians. It is not known from what time the history of Alaska began - the settlement of this cold and inhospitable land. However, the fact that in the most ancient times there was a certain connection between Asia and Asia is beyond doubt. And it was carried out along which was covered with an ice crust. People in those days easily crossed from one continent to another. The minimum width of the Bering Strait is only eighty-six kilometers. Such a distance was quite within the power of any more or less experienced hunter to overcome on dog sleds.

When the ice age ended, the warming era began. The ice melted, and the coasts of the continents disappeared below the horizon. The people who inhabited Asia no longer dared to swim across the icy surface into the unknown. Therefore, starting from the third millennium BC, Indians began to master Alaska. Their tribes from the territory of present-day California moved north, adhering to the Pacific coast. Gradually, the Indians reached the Aleutian Islands, where they settled down.

Russian exploration of Alaska

Meanwhile, the Russian Empire began to rapidly expand its eastern borders. In the meantime, fleets from European countries constantly plowed the oceans and seas, looking for places for new colonies, the Russians mastered the Urals and Siberia, the Far East and the lands of the Far North. A whole galaxy of strong and courageous people went on ships not to tropical waters, but towards the ice of the harsh north. The most famous expedition leaders were Semyon Dezhnev and Fedot Popov, and Alexei Chirikov. It was they who in 1732 opened this land to the rest of the civilized world - long before Russia gave Alaska to America. This date is considered official.

But it is one thing to open, and another to equip a new land. The very first Russian settlements in Alaska appeared only in the eighties of the eighteenth century. People were engaged in hunting and commerce: hunters caught fur-bearing animals, and merchants bought them up. Gradually, this unpromised land began to turn into a source of profit, since valuable fur was equated with gold in all ages.

unprofitable edge

At first, in these northern lands, very rich in furs, the interests of the Russians were jealously guarded. However, the years passed, and the total destruction of the same foxes and sea otters, beavers and minks could not continue indefinitely. Fur production dropped sharply. Gradually, the Russian Klondike began to lose its commercial significance. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the vast lands have so far been practically undeveloped. This was the impetus, the first reason why Russia gave Alaska to America.

Beginning in the late thirties of the eighteenth century, an opinion began to form at the imperial court that Alaska was a loss-making region. Moreover, the king began to come to the conclusion that, apart from a headache, this land could not bring anything. It was from this moment that the story of the sale of Alaska to America began. Industrialists were sure that investing in these lands was complete madness, since they could not pay off. Russian people will not settle in this icy desert, especially since there are Siberia and Altai, and the Far East, where the climate is much milder and the lands are fertile.

The already difficult situation was exacerbated by the Crimean War, which began in 1853, which pumped huge amounts of money out of the state treasury. In addition, in 1855, Nicholas I died, who was replaced on the throne by Alexander II. They looked at the new emperor with hope. People expected new reforms. But what reforms are carried out without money?

Forever

When it comes to who gave Alaska to America, for some reason everyone remembers Empress Catherine II. Many are sure that it was she who put her signature under the decree on the transfer of "Russian America" ​​to Britain. Allegedly, the conversation at first was not about selling, but only about renting for a century. They even tell a story that fully confirms that Catherine sold Alaska. As if the empress, who did not know the Russian language well, instructed a trusted person to draw up an agreement. The same one messed up with spelling: instead of writing down “Alaska is transferred for a century”, this person, out of absent-mindedness, made a note: “given forever”, which meant forever. So the answer to the question: "Who gave Alaska to America?" - "Catherine!" will be wrong. You still need to study the past of your country more carefully.

Alaska: history

Catherine II, according to official history, did nothing of the sort. With her, these lands were not leased, and even more so they were not sold. There were no prerequisites for this. The history of the sale of Alaska began only half a century later, already in the time of Alexander II. It was this emperor who ruled in an era when numerous problems began to emerge, the solution of which required immediate action.

Of course, this sovereign, who ascended the throne, did not immediately decide to sell the northern lands. It took a whole ten years before the question was ripe. Selling land for the state at all times was a very shameful thing. After all, this was evidence of the country's weakness, its inability to keep its subordinate territories in order. However, the Russian treasury really needed funds. And when they are not - all ways are good.

Purchase and sale

However, no one began to shout about it to the whole world. The question of why Russia gave Alaska to America was sensitive and political, and it required unorthodox solutions. In 1866, a delegate from the Russian imperial court arrived in Washington, D.C., and began secret negotiations on the sale of northern lands. The Americans showed complaisance, although the time for the deal was unsuccessful for them too. Indeed, in the United States, the Civil War unleashed between the South and the North had barely ended. Therefore, the state treasury was completely depleted.

Ten years after the time when Russia gave Alaska to America, buyers could be asked five times more, but the Russian court, according to historians, was pressed for money. Therefore, the parties agreed on only 7.2 million dollars in gold equivalent. And although at that time it was very decent money, in terms of current components about two hundred and fifty million dollars, however, anyone who is interested in the question of who gave Alaska to America will agree that these northern territories cost several orders of magnitude more.

One year later

After the conclusion of the agreement, the representative of the imperial court returned to Russia. And a year later, an urgent telegram signed by the President of the United States was sent to the name of the one who gave Alaska to America - the reigning Alexander II. It contained a business proposal: Russia was loudly, to the whole world, offered to sell Alaska. On the other hand, no one knew about the visit of the Russian representative to Washington prior to this telegram. It turned out that it was America that initiated the deal, but not Russia. Thus diplomatic and political conventions were cunningly preserved by both sides. In the eyes of the whole world, Russia managed not to lose its dignity. And already in March 1867, legal registration of documents was carried out. And since that time, "Russian Alaska" has ceased to exist. She was given the status of an American colony. Later it was renamed the district, and already in 1959 this northern land became the forty-ninth state of the United States.

In justification

Today, having learned who gave Alaska to America, one can, of course, condemn and scold the Russian Emperor Alexander II. However, if you take a closer look at the political and financial situation in Russia in those distant years, a very definite picture emerges, which to some extent justifies his decision.

In 1861, serfdom was finally abolished. Thousands of landlords were left without their peasants, which meant that a considerable estate lost its stable source of income. Therefore, the state began to pay compensation to the nobles, which was supposed to somehow cover their material losses. But for the treasury, such expenses amounted to tens of millions of royal rubles. And then the Crimean War broke out, and again money flowed like a river from the treasury.

Difficult situation for Russia

In order to somehow recoup the costs, the royal court borrowed huge sums abroad. Foreign governments with great pleasure gave in because she had untold natural wealth. A situation developed in the empire when every extra ruble became a joy, and especially one for which it was not necessary to pay interest on promissory notes.

That is why Catherine, the great Russian Empress, has matured - there is nothing to do with this issue. And it makes no sense to blame her, except perhaps that the state has reached a complete decline and with her light hand.

Difficulties in selling

Alaska is a distant northern land, constantly bound by eternal ice. She did not bring Russia a single penny. And the whole world knew about it very well. And so the imperial court was quite concerned about finding a buyer for this useless region of icy cold. Closest to Alaska was the United States. They were offered by Russia at their own peril and risk to conclude a deal. The American Congress, more precisely, many senators, did not immediately agree to such a dubious purchase. The issue was put to a vote. As a result, more than half of the senators voted categorically against the acquisition: the proposal from the Russian government did not arouse any enthusiasm among the Americans. And the rest of the world showed absolute indifference to this deal.

Consequences

And in Russia itself, the sale of Alaska went completely unnoticed. Newspapers wrote about it on their last pages. Some Russians did not even know that it existed. Although later, when the richest gold reserves were found on this cold northern land, the whole world began to vied with each other to talk about both Alaska and the sale, ridiculing the stupid and short-sighted Russian emperor.

In serious political and financial matters, the subjunctive mood is unacceptable. None of those who later began to condemn Alexander II never suggested that such huge deposits of gold could be located in Alaska. But if we consider the deal not from today's positions, but from the situation that developed in 1867, then many believe that the Russian emperor did absolutely the right thing. And even more so, the sale of Alaska by Catherine is just an idle fiction that has no basis.

Conclusion

In total, one thousand tons of gold was mined on the lands of the former "Russian America". Some got fabulously rich on this, and some disappeared forever in this snowy desert. Today, Americans are very inert and somehow hesitantly settling in their inhospitable land. There are practically no roads in Alaska. Few settlements are reached either by air or by water. The railway here passes through only five cities. In total, six hundred thousand people live in this state.

History of Alaska

The first inhabitants of Alaska came to the territory of the modern US state about 15 or 20,000 years ago - they moved from Eurasia to North America through the isthmus that then connected the two continents in the place where the Bering Strait is today.

By the time the Europeans arrived in Alaska, several peoples inhabited it, including the Tsimshians, Haida and Tlingit, Aleuts and Athabaskans, as well as Eskimos, Inupiat and Yupik. But all modern natives of Alaska and Siberia have common ancestors - their genetic relationship has already been proven.

Discovery of Alaska by Russian explorers

History has not preserved the name of the first European who set foot on the land of Alaska. But at the same time, it is very likely that it was a member of the Russian expedition. Perhaps it was the expedition of Semyon Dezhnev in 1648. It is possible that in 1732 members of the crew of the small ship "Saint Gabriel", who explored Chukotka, landed on the coast of the North American continent.

However, the official discovery of Alaska is July 15, 1741 - on this day, from one of the ships of the Second Kamchatka Expedition, the famous explorer Vitus Bering saw the land. It was Prince of Wales Island, which is located in the southeast of Alaska.

Subsequently, the island, the sea and the strait between Chukotka and Alaska were named after Vitus Bering. Assessing the scientific and political results of the second expedition of V. Bering, the Soviet historian A.V. Efimov recognized them as huge, because during the Second Kamchatka expedition, the American coast for the first time in history was reliably mapped as “part of North America”. However, the Russian Empress Elizabeth did not show any noticeable interest in the lands of North America. She issued a decree obliging the local population to pay a fee for trade, but did not take any further steps towards developing relations with Alaska.

However, the attention of Russian industrialists came to the sea otters living in coastal waters - sea otters. Their fur was considered one of the most valuable in the world, so sea otters were extremely profitable. So by 1743, Russian traders and fur hunters had established close contact with the Aleuts.

Development of Russian Alaska: North-Eastern Company

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in subsequent years, Russian travelers repeatedly landed on the islands of Alaska, fished for sea otters and traded with local residents, and even entered into skirmishes with them.

In 1762, Empress Catherine the Great ascended the Russian throne. Her government turned its attention back to Alaska. In 1769, the duty on trade with the Aleuts was abolished. The development of Alaska went by leaps and bounds. In 1772, the first Russian trading settlement was founded on the large island of Unalaska. Another 12 years later, in 1784, an expedition under the command of Grigory Shelikhov landed on the Aleutian Islands, which founded the Russian settlement of Kodiak in the Bay of Three Saints.

The Irkutsk merchant Grigory Shelikhov, a Russian explorer, navigator and industrialist, glorified his name in history by the fact that since 1775 he was engaged in the arrangement of commercial shipping between the Kuril and Aleutian island ridges as the founder of the North-Eastern Company.

His associates arrived in Alaska on three galliots, "Three Saints", "St. Simeon" and "St. Michael". "Shelikhovtsy" begin to intensively develop the island. They subdue the local Eskimos (Konyags), try to develop agriculture by planting turnips and potatoes, and also conduct spiritual activities, converting the indigenous people to their faith. Orthodox missionaries made a tangible contribution to the development of Russian America.

The colony on Kodiak functioned relatively successfully until the early 90s of the XVIII century. In 1792, the city, which was named Pavlovsk Harbor, was moved to a new location - this was the result of a powerful tsunami that damaged the Russian settlement.

Russian-American company

With the merger of the companies of merchants G.I. Shelikhova, I.I. and M.S. Golikovs and N.P. Mylnikov in 1798-99, a single "Russian-American Company" was created. From Paul I, who ruled Russia at that time, she received monopoly rights to fur trade, trade and the discovery of new lands in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The company was called upon to represent and defend with its own means the interests of Russia in the Pacific Ocean, and was under the "highest patronage." Since 1801, Alexander I and the Grand Dukes, major statesmen have become shareholders of the company. The main board of the company was located in St. Petersburg, but in fact the management of all affairs was carried out from Irkutsk, where Shelikhov lived.

Alexander Baranov became the first governor of Alaska under the control of the RAC. During the years of his reign, the boundaries of Russian possessions in Alaska expanded significantly, new Russian settlements arose. Redoubts appeared in the Kenai and Chugatsky bays. The construction of Novorossiysk in Yakutat Bay began. In 1796, moving south along the coast of America, the Russians reached the island of Sitka.

The basis of the economy of Russian America was still the fishing of sea animals: sea otters, sea lions, which was carried out with the support of the Aleuts.

Russian Indian War

However, the indigenous people did not always meet the Russian settlers with open arms. Having reached the island of Sitka, the Russians ran into fierce resistance from the Tlingit Indians, and in 1802 the Russo-Indian War broke out. Control of the island and fishing for sea otters in coastal waters became the cornerstone of the conflict.

The first skirmish on the mainland took place on May 23, 1802. In June, a detachment of 600 Indians, led by the leader Katlian, attacked the Mikhailovsky fortress on the island of Sitka. By June, during the ensuing series of attacks, the 165-member Sitka Party had been completely crushed. The English brig Unicorn, which sailed into the area a little later, helped the miraculously surviving Russians to escape. The loss of Sitka was a severe blow to the Russian colonies and personally to Governor Baranov. The total losses of the Russian-American Company amounted to 24 Russians and 200 Aleuts.

In 1804, Baranov moved from Yakutat to conquer Sitka. After a long siege and shelling of the fortress occupied by the Tlingits, on October 8, 1804, the Russian flag was raised over the native settlement. The construction of a fort and a new settlement began. Soon the city of Novo-Arkhangelsk grew up here.

However, on August 20, 1805, the Eyak warriors of the Tlahaik-Tekuedi clan and their Tlingit allies burned Yakutat and killed the Russians and Aleuts who remained there. In addition, at the same time, in a distant sea crossing, they got into a storm and about 250 more people died. The fall of Yakutat and the death of Demyanenkov's party became another heavy blow for the Russian colonies. An important economic and strategic base on the coast of America was lost.

Further confrontation continued until 1805, when a truce was concluded with the Indians and the RAC tried to fish in the waters of the Tlingit in large numbers under the cover of Russian warships. However, the Tlingits even then opened fire from guns, already at the beast, which made fishing almost impossible.

As a result of Indian attacks, 2 Russian fortresses and a village in Southeast Alaska were destroyed, about 45 Russians and more than 230 natives died. All this stopped the advance of the Russians in a southerly direction along the northwestern coast of America for several years. The Indian threat further fettered the RAC forces in the area of ​​the Alexander Archipelago and did not allow the systematic colonization of Southeast Alaska to begin. However, after the cessation of fishing in the lands of the Indians, relations improved somewhat, and the RAC resumed trade with the Tlingit and even allowed them to restore their ancestral village near Novoarkhangelsk.

It should be noted that the complete settlement of relations with the Tlingit took place two hundred years later - in October 2004, an official peace ceremony was held between the Kiksadi clan and Russia.

The Russo-Indian War secured Alaska for Russia, but limited the further advance of the Russians deep into America.

Under the control of Irkutsk

Grigory Shelikhov had already died by this time: he died in 1795. His place in the management of the RAC and Alaska was taken by the son-in-law and legal heir of the Russian-American Company, Count Nikolai Petrovich Ryazanov. In 1799, he received from the ruler of Russia, Emperor Paul I, the right to monopoly the American fur trade.

Nikolai Rezanov was born in 1764 in St. Petersburg, but after some time his father was appointed chairman of the civil chamber of the provincial court in Irkutsk. Rezanov himself serves in the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky Regiment, and is even personally responsible for the protection of Catherine II, but in 1791 he was also assigned to Irkutsk. Here he was supposed to inspect the activities of Shelikhov's company.

In Irkutsk, Rezanov met "Columbus Rossky": that was how contemporaries called Shelikhov, the founder of the first Russian settlements in America. In an effort to strengthen his position, Shelikhov marries his eldest daughter, Anna, for Rezanov. Thanks to this marriage, Nikolai Rezanov received the right to participate in the affairs of the family company and became a co-owner of huge capital, and the bride from a merchant family - the family coat of arms and all the privileges of the titled Russian nobility. From that moment on, the fate of Rezanov is closely connected with Russian America. And his young wife (Anna was 15 years old at the time of marriage) died a few years later.

The activity of the RAC was a unique phenomenon in the history of Russia at that time. It was the first such a large monopoly organization with fundamentally new forms of doing business that took into account the specifics of the Pacific fur trade. Today, this would be called a public-private partnership: merchants-dealers and fishermen closely interacted with the state authorities. Such a need was dictated by the moment: firstly, the distances between the areas of fishing and marketing were huge. Secondly, the practice of using equity capital was approved: financial flows from people who had no direct relation to it were involved in the fur trade. The government partly regulated these relations and supported them. The fortunes of merchants and the fate of people who went to the ocean for "soft gold" often depended on his position.

And in the interests of the state was the speedy development of economic relations with China and the establishment of a further path to the East. The new Minister of Commerce N.P. Rumyantsev presented two notes to Alexander I, where he described the advantages of this direction: until the Russians themselves pave the way to Canton.” Rumyantsev foresaw the benefits of opening trade with Japan "not only for American villages, but for the entire northern region of Siberia" and proposed using a round-the-world expedition to send "an embassy to the Japanese court" led by a person "with abilities and knowledge of political and commercial affairs" . Historians believe that even then he meant Nikolai Rezanov as such a person, since it was assumed that upon completion of the Japanese mission, he would go to survey Russian possessions in America.

Around the world Rezanov

Rezanov knew about the planned expedition already in the spring of 1803. “Now I am preparing for a campaign,” she wrote in a private letter. - Two merchant ships, bought in London, are given to my superiors. They are equipped with a decent crew, guard officers are assigned to the mission with me, and in general an expedition has been set up for the journey. My journey from Kronstadt to Portsmouth, from there to Tenerife, then to Brazil and, bypassing Cape Horn, to Valpareso, from there to the Sandwich Islands, finally to Japan, and in 1805 wintering in Kamchatka. From there I will go to Unalaska, to Kodiak, to Prince William Sound and go down to Nootka, from which I will return to Kodiak and, loaded with goods, I will go to Canton, to the Philippine Islands ... I will return around the Cape of Good Hope.

In the meantime, the RAC took on the service of Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern and entrusted two ships, called Nadezhda and Neva, to his "bosses". In a special supplement, the board announced the appointment of N.P. Rezanov as the head of the embassy to Japan and authorized "his full master's face not only during the voyage, but also in America."

“The Russian-American company,” reported the Hamburg Vedomosti (No. 137, 1802), “is zealous about the expansion of its trade, which in time will be very useful for Russia, and is now engaged in a great enterprise, important not only for commerce, but also for the honor of the Russian people, namely, she equips two ships that will be loaded in Petersburg with food, anchors, ropes, sails, etc., and should sail to the northwestern shores of America in order to supply the Russian colonies on the Aleutian Islands with these needs, to load there with furs, exchange them in China for its goods, establish a colony on Urup, one of the Kuril Islands, for the most convenient trade with Japan, go from there to the Cape of Good Hope, and return to Europe. Only Russians will be on these ships. The emperor approved the plan, ordered to select the best naval officers and sailors for the success of this expedition, which will be the first Russian trip around the world.

The historian Karamzin wrote the following about the expedition and the attitude of various circles of Russian society towards it: “Anglomans and Gallomaniacs, who wish to be called cosmopolitans, think that the Russians should trade locally. Peter thought differently - he was Russian at heart and a patriot. We stand on the ground and on Russian land, we look at the world not through the glasses of taxonomists, but with our natural eyes, we also need the development of the fleet and industry, enterprise and daring. In Vestnik Evropy, Karamzin printed letters from officers who had gone on a voyage, and all of Russia awaited this news with trepidation.

On August 7, 1803, exactly 100 years after the founding of St. Petersburg and Kronstadt by Peter, the Nadezhda and the Neva weighed anchor. The circumnavigation has begun. Through Copenhagen, Falmouth, Tenerife to the coast of Brazil, and then around Cape Horn, the expedition reached the Marquesas and by June 1804 - the Hawaiian Islands. Here the ships separated: "Nadezhda" went to Petropavlovsk-on-Kamchatka, and "Neva" went to Kodiak Island. When Nadezhda arrived in Kamchatka, preparations began for an embassy to Japan.

Reza new in Japan

Leaving Petropavlovsk on August 27, 1804, Nadezhda headed southwest. A month later, the shores of northern Japan appeared in the distance. A great celebration took place on the ship, the participants of the expedition were awarded silver medals. However, the joy turned out to be premature: due to the abundance of errors in the charts, the ship embarked on the wrong course. In addition, a severe storm began, in which the Nadezhda was badly damaged, but, fortunately, she managed to stay afloat, despite serious damage. And on September 28, the ship entered the port of Nagasaki.

However, here again difficulties arose: a Japanese official who met the expedition stated that the entrance to the Nagasaki harbor was open only to Dutch ships, and for others it was impossible without a special order from the Japanese emperor. Fortunately, Rezanov had such permission. And despite the fact that Alexander I secured the consent of the Japanese "colleague" 12 years ago, access to the harbor for the Russian ship, albeit with some bewilderment, was open. True, "Nadezhda" was obliged to issue gunpowder, cannons and all firearms, sabers and swords, of which only one can be provided to the ambassador. Rezanov knew about such Japanese laws for foreign ships and agreed to hand over all weapons, except for the swords of officers and the guns of his personal guard.

However, several more months of sophisticated diplomatic treaties passed before the ship was allowed to come close to the Japanese coast, and the envoy Rezanov himself was allowed to move to land. The team, all this time, until the end of December, continued to live on board. An exception was provided only for astronomers who made their observations - they were allowed to land on the ground. At the same time, the Japanese vigilantly watched the sailors and the embassy. They were even forbidden to send letters to their homeland with a Dutch ship leaving for Batavia. Only the envoy was allowed to write a brief report to Alexander I about a safe voyage.

The envoy and the persons of his retinue had to live in honorable imprisonment for four months, until the very departure from Japan. Only occasionally Rezanov could see our sailors and the director of the Dutch trading post. Rezanov, however, did not waste time: he diligently continued his studies in Japanese, simultaneously compiling two manuscripts (“A Concise Russian-Japanese Manual” and a dictionary containing more than five thousand words), which Rezanov later wanted to transfer to the Navigation School in Irkutsk. Subsequently, they were published by the Academy of Sciences.

Only on April 4, Rezanov's first audience with one of the high-ranking local dignitaries took place, who brought the Japanese Emperor's response to the message of Alexander I. The answer read: “The ruler of Japan is extremely surprised by the arrival of the Russian embassy; the emperor cannot accept the embassy, ​​and does not want correspondence and trade with the Russians and asks the ambassador to leave Japan.

Rezanov, in turn, noted that, although it is not for him to judge which of the emperors is more powerful, he considers the response of the Japanese ruler to be bold and emphasized that the offer of trade relations between countries from Russia was rather a mercy "out of common philanthropy." The dignitaries, embarrassed by such pressure, proposed to postpone the audience until another day, when the envoy would not be so excited.

The second audience was quieter. The dignitaries generally denied any possibility of cooperation with other countries, including trade, as prohibited by the fundamental law, and, moreover, explained it by their inability to undertake a response embassy. Then a third audience took place, during which the parties undertook to provide each other with written answers. But this time, too, the position of the Japanese government remained unchanged: referring to formal reasons and tradition, Japan firmly decided to maintain its former isolation. Rezanov drew up a memorandum to the Japanese government in connection with the refusal to establish trade relations and returned to Nadezhda.

Some historians see the reasons for the failure of the diplomatic mission in the ardor of the count himself, others suspect that the intrigues of the Dutch side, who wanted to maintain their priority in relations with Japan, were to blame for everything, however, after almost seven months in Nagasaki on April 18, 1805, the Nadezhda weighed anchor and went out to the open sea.

The Russian ship was forbidden to continue to approach the Japanese shores. However, Kruzenshtern nevertheless devoted another three months to the study of those places that La Perouse had not previously studied enough. He was going to clarify the geographical position of all the Japanese islands, most of the coast of Korea, the western coast of the island of Iessoy and the coast of Sakhalin, describe the coast of the Aniva and Patience bays and conduct a study of the Kuril Islands. A significant part of this huge plan was carried out.

Having completed the description of Aniva Bay, Kruzenshtern continued his work on marine surveys of the eastern coast of Sakhalin to Cape Patience, but would soon have to turn them off, as the ship encountered large accumulations of ice. Nadezhda with great difficulty entered the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and a few days later, overcoming bad weather, returned to the Peter and Paul harbor.

The envoy Rezanov transferred to the vessel of the Russian-American company "Maria", on which he went to the main base of the company on Kodiak Island, near Alaska, where he was supposed to streamline the organization of local management of colonies and fisheries.

Rezanov in Alaska

As the "owner" of the Russian-American company, Nikolai Rezanov delved into all the subtleties of management. He was struck by the fighting spirit of the Baranovites, the tirelessness, efficiency of Baranov himself. But there were more than enough difficulties: there was not enough food - famine was approaching, the land was infertile, there were not enough bricks for construction, there was no mica for windows, copper, without which it was impossible to equip the ship, was considered a terrible rarity.

Rezanov himself wrote in a letter from Sitka: “We all live very closely; but our purchaser of these places lives the worst of all, in some kind of plank yurt, filled with dampness to the point that every day the mold is wiped off and in the local heavy rains it flows like a sieve from all sides. Wonderful person! He cares only about the quiet room of others, but about himself he is careless to the point that one day I found his bed floating and asked if the wind had torn off the side board of the temple somewhere? No, he answered calmly, apparently it had flowed towards me from the square, and continued his orders.

The population of Russian America, as Alaska was called, grew very slowly. In 1805, the number of Russian colonists was about 470 people, in addition, a significant number of Indians depended on the company (according to Rezanov's census, there were 5,200 of them on Kodiak Island). The people who served in the company's institutions were mostly violent people, for which Nikolai Petrovich aptly called the Russian settlements a "drunken republic."

He did a lot to improve the life of the population: he resumed the work of the school for boys, and sent some of them to study in Irkutsk, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. A school for girls for one hundred pupils was also established. He founded a hospital, which could be used by both Russian employees and natives, and a court was established. Rezanov insisted that all Russians living in the colonies should learn the language of the natives, and he himself compiled dictionaries of the Russian-Kodiak and Russian-Unalash languages.

Having familiarized himself with the state of affairs in Russian America, Rezanov quite correctly decided that the way out and salvation from hunger was in organizing trade with California, in the foundation of a Russian settlement there, which would supply Russian America with bread and dairy products. By that time, the population of Russian America, according to the Rezanov census, carried out in the Unalashkinsky and Kodiaksky departments, was 5234 people.

"Juno and Avos"

It was decided to sail to California immediately. For this, one of the two ships that arrived in Sitka was purchased from the Englishman Wolfe for 68 thousand piastres. The ship "Juno" was purchased along with a cargo of provisions on board, the products were transferred to the settlers. And the ship itself under the Russian flag sailed for California on February 26, 1806.

Upon arrival in California, Rezanov subdued the commandant of the fortress Jose Dario Arguello with court manners and charmed his daughter, fifteen-year-old Concepción. It is not known whether the mysterious and beautiful 42-year-old foreigner confessed to her that he had already been married once and would become a widow, but the girl was smitten.

Of course, Conchita, like many young girls of all times and peoples, dreamed of meeting a handsome prince. It is not surprising that Commander Rezanov, a chamberlain of His Imperial Majesty, a stately, powerful, handsome man easily won her heart. In addition, he was the only one from the Russian delegation who spoke Spanish and talked a lot with the girl, fogging her mind with stories about the brilliant St. Petersburg, Europe, the court of Catherine the Great ...

Was there a tender feeling on the part of Nikolai Rezanov himself? Despite the fact that the story of his love for Conchita became one of the most beautiful romantic legends, contemporaries doubted it. Rezanov himself, in a letter to his patron and friend Count Nikolai Rumyantsev, admitted that the reason that prompted him to propose a hand and heart to a young Spaniard was more good for the Fatherland than a warm feeling. The same opinion was shared by the ship's doctor, who wrote in his reports: “One would think that he fell in love with this beauty. However, in view of the prudence inherent in this cold man, it would be more cautious to admit that he simply had some diplomatic views on her.

One way or another, a marriage proposal was made and accepted. Here is how Rezanov himself writes about this:

“My proposal struck down her (Conchita’s) parents, raised in fanaticism. The difference of religions and ahead of separation from their daughter were a thunderous blow for them. They resorted to the missionaries, they did not know what to decide on. They took poor Concepsia to church, confessed her, persuaded her to refuse, but her determination finally calmed everyone.

The holy fathers left the permission of the Roman See, and if I could not complete my marriage, I made a conditional act and forced us to be engaged... how my favors also demanded it, and the governor was extremely surprised, amazed, seeing that he assured me at the wrong time of the sincere dispositions of this house and that he himself, so to speak, found himself visiting me ... "

In addition, Rezanov got a cargo of “2156 pounds” very cheaply. wheat, 351 pounds. barley, 560 pounds. legumes. Fat and oils for 470 pounds. and all sorts of things for 100 pounds, so much so that the ship could not set off at first.

Conchita promised to wait for her fiance, who was supposed to deliver a cargo of supplies to Alaska, and then was going to St. Petersburg. He intended to secure the Emperor's petition to the Pope in order to obtain official permission from the Catholic Church for their marriage. This could take about two years.

A month later, full provisions and other cargo "Juno" and "Avos" arrived in Novo-Arkhangelsk. Despite diplomatic calculations, Count Rezanov had no intention of deceiving the young Spaniard. He immediately goes to St. Petersburg in order to ask permission to conclude a family union, despite the mudslide and the weather that is not suitable for such a trip.

Crossing the rivers on horseback, on thin ice, he fell into the water several times, caught a cold and lay unconscious for 12 days. He was taken to Krasnoyarsk, where he died on March 1, 1807.

Concepson never married. She did charity work, taught the Indians. In the early 1840s, Donna Concepción entered the third Order of the White Clergy, and after founding in 1851 in the city of Benicia the monastery of St. Dominica became its first nun under the name Maria Dominga. She died at the age of 67 on December 23, 1857.

Alaska after le Rezanov

Since 1808, Novo-Arkhangelsk has become the center of Russian America. All this time, the management of the American territories has been carried out from Irkutsk, where the main headquarters of the Russian-American Company is still located. Officially, Russian America is included first in the Siberian General Government, and after its division in 1822 into Western and Eastern, - in the East Siberian General Government.

In 1812, Baranov, the director of the Russian-American Company, established a southern representative office of the company on the shores of California's Bodidge Bay. This representative office was named Russian Village, now known as Fort Ross.

Baranov retired from the post of director of the Russian-American Company in 1818. He dreamed of returning home - to Russia, but died on the way.

Naval officers came to the management of the company, who contributed to the development of the company, however, unlike Baranov, the naval leadership was very little interested in the trading business itself, and was extremely nervous about the settlement of Alaska by the British and Americans. The management of the company, in the name of the Russian Emperor, banned the invasion of all foreign ships for 160 km into the water area near the Russian colonies in Alaska. Of course, such an order was immediately protested by Great Britain and the United States government.

The dispute with the United States was settled by an 1824 convention that determined the exact northern and southern boundaries of Russian territory in Alaska. In 1825, Russia also came to an agreement with Britain, also defining the exact eastern and western borders. The Russian Empire gave both sides (Britain and the USA) the right to trade in Alaska for 10 years, after which Alaska completely passed into the possession of Russia.

Sale of Alaska

However, if at the beginning of the 19th century Alaska generated income through the fur trade, by the middle of the 19th century it began to appear that the costs of maintaining and protecting this remote and vulnerable, from a geopolitical point of view, territory outweighed the potential profit. The area of ​​the territory subsequently sold was 1,518,800 km² and was practically uninhabited - according to the RAC itself, at the time of the sale, the population of all Russian Alaska and the Aleutian Islands numbered about 2,500 Russians and up to about 60,000 Indians and Eskimos.

Historians assess the sale of Alaska ambiguously. Some are of the opinion that this measure was forced because of Russia's conduct of the Crimean campaign (1853-1856) and the difficult situation on the fronts. Others insist that the deal was purely commercial. One way or another, the first question about the sale of Alaska to the United States before the Russian government was raised by the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Count N. N. Muravyov-Amursky in 1853. In his opinion, this was inevitable, and at the same time would allow Russia to strengthen its position on the Asian coast of the Pacific in the face of the growing penetration of the British Empire. At that time, her Canadian possessions extended directly to the east of Alaska.

Relations between Russia and Britain were sometimes openly hostile. During the Crimean War, when the British fleet tried to land troops in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the possibility of a direct confrontation in America became real.

In turn, the American government also wanted to prevent the occupation of Alaska by the British Empire. In the spring of 1854, he received a proposal for a fictitious (temporarily, for a period of three years) sale by the Russian-American Company of all its possessions and property for 7,600 thousand dollars. The RAC entered into such an agreement with the American-Russian Trading Company in San Francisco, controlled by the US government, but it did not enter into force, since the RAC managed to negotiate with the British Hudson's Bay Company.

Subsequent negotiations on this issue took another ten years. Finally, in March 1867, a draft agreement was agreed upon in general terms for the purchase of Russian possessions in America for $7.2 million. It is curious that this is how much the building cost, in which the contract for the sale of such a vast territory was signed.

The signing of the treaty took place on March 30, 1867 in Washington. And already on October 18, Alaska was officially transferred to the United States. Since 1917, this day has been celebrated in the United States as Alaska Day.

The entire Alaska Peninsula (along the line running along meridian 141° west of Greenwich), a coastal strip 10 miles south of Alaska along the western coast of British Columbia passed to the USA; Alexandra archipelago; Aleutian Islands with Attu Island; the islands of the Middle, Krys'i, Lis'i, Andreyanovsk, Shumagin, Trinity, Umnak, Unimak, Kodiak, Chirikov, Afognak and other smaller islands; islands in the Bering Sea: St. Lawrence, St. Matthew, Nunivak and the Pribylov Islands - St. George and St. Paul. Together with the territory, all real estate, all colonial archives, official and historical documents related to the transferred territories were transferred to the United States.

Alaska today

Despite the fact that Russia sold these lands as unpromising, the United States did not lose out on the deal. Already 30 years later, the famous gold rush began in Alaska - the word Klondike became a household word. According to some reports, more than 1,000 tons of gold have been exported from Alaska over the past century and a half. At the beginning of the 20th century, oil was also discovered there (today, the region's reserves are estimated at 4.5 billion barrels). Coal and non-ferrous metal ores are mined in Alaska. Thanks to the huge number of rivers and lakes, the fishing and seafood industries flourish there as large private enterprises. Tourism is also developed.

Today Alaska is the largest and one of the richest states in the United States.

Sources

• Commander Rezanov. Website dedicated to Russian explorers of new lands
• Abstract "History of Russian Alaska: from discovery to sale", St. Petersburg State University, 2007, the author is not specified

Exactly 150 years ago, a deal was made to sell Russian Alaska to the United States. What role did the Decembrist uprising play in this? Why did St. Petersburg perceive the discovery of gold on the peninsula as a big problem? What did the money go to in the end? And what guided the American Congress, flatly refusing to acquire new lands?

At about 4 am on March 30, 1867, an agreement was signed at the State Department office in Washington to cede all Russian rights to Alaska to the United States of America. The text of the treaty came from St. Petersburg only the day before - late Friday evening. And one can only guess what efforts it took for the tsarist envoy, Baron Eduard Stekl, and Secretary of State William Seward to get out of bed all the officials and politicians necessary for signing the documents. Whatever it was, the deal went through.

The sale of Alaska is one of the most mythologized events in Russian history in the 19th century.

The people still have a variety of opinions about who sold the Russian colonies after all. Someone, thanks to the famous song, is sure that it was Catherine II, someone, like the governor of the Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, that Nicholas II was the culprit. There are myths that these territories were not sold, but only leased for a period of 99 years, and that Russia never received the payment due for them.

Received. True, part of the due amount had to be spent on bribes for American parliamentarians. Thus, a line was drawn under the long history of Russian colonization of America, which began under Peter I.

Juno and"A eight»

It is believed that the first European to discover the coast of Alaska was an officer of the Russian fleet and a Dane by origin, Vitus Bering. In fact, some pioneers reached these places before, but it was Bering back in 1741 who did two most important things for the further development of the New World by the Russians. Unlike most of his predecessors, he realized that he had discovered exactly North America, and not just another island. In addition, it was Bering who managed to justify the economic attractiveness of the development of new territories.

During the return passage, not having reached the coast of Asia for about 200 kilometers, the ship was thrown ashore on the nameless island by a storm. It was November, and it was decided to settle down here for the winter. 30 sailors out of 75 who found themselves on the shore could not survive the hard winter. The great Russian explorer Vitus Bering himself also died, or, as he was called in Russia, Ivan Ivanovich. The island on which his crew had to spend the winter is named after him ever since.

On the new lands, sailors met a large population of various animals that were not at all afraid of humans. And in the spring they built a new ship from the remains of a dead ship and a new ship thrown ashore in the Kamchatka forest. Within two weeks, they not only managed to reach Petropavlovsk, but also brought a rich cargo of furs. Soon, various merchants organized several expeditions at once for the extraction of valuable skins, and the ships returned loaded with furs worth tens and hundreds of thousands of rubles.

The fame of the rich natural resources of these places quickly spread throughout the world. Spain was fortifying its possessions in California in order to enter the race for possession of these lands. On the opposite coast from Boston, the subjects of King George advanced. In parallel, both English and French sailors tried to find a sea route to Alaska.

However, official St. Petersburg did not seek to explore the New World, fearing possible international consequences. It's one thing to discover new lands, it's quite another to settle them and keep them. Colonial wars between European powers arose regularly, often spreading to the territory of the metropolitan countries. And Petersburg did not want to climb into this tangled tangle.

Therefore, Alaska was mastered mainly by "private traders". Of all the fishermen who sailed to these shores, the most successful was the company of Grigory Shelikhov, which gradually absorbed all competitors. In capturing the promising area, he was actively assisted by his son-in-law, a young St. Petersburg official, Nikolai Rezanov, who lobbied for the interests of the family business in the capital. After Shelikhov's death, Rezanov became the largest co-owner of the company, and in 1799 Paul I signed a decree on the creation of the Russian American Company on the basis of Shelikhov's enterprise.

The very idea of ​​RAC was copied from the British giants - such as the East India Company. The RAC not only had exclusive and monopoly rights to the development of Alaska, but also had full power in these territories, exercising administrative and judicial functions on behalf of the emperor. At the same time, the city of Novo-Arkhangelsk (modern Sitka) was founded, which became the capital of Russian possessions in America. Alexander Baranov became the first chief ruler of all Russian settlements in the New World.

However, having arrived in Novo-Arkhangelsk a few years later, Rezanov found the settlement in a deplorable state. The colonists did not have enough food - they were delivered throughout Siberia, a significant part of the provisions corny spoiled. At the same moment, the American trader John Wolfe with a cargo of food also looked into Novo-Arkhangelsk. Rezanov bought not only goods, but also the ship itself, named "Juno". The second ship - under the name "Avos" - was already built on the spot.

Almost Russian Hawaii

On these two ships, Rezanov went to Spanish California at that time. His goal was to find out the situation on the spot and organize a direct delivery of food products. The enterprise was complicated by the political situation in Europe. The Russian traveler arrived in California in March 1806. The battle of Austerlitz had just died down, and although in December Russia made peace with France, it was clear to everyone that Alexander I gravitated toward the anti-Napoleonic coalition. Spain, on the contrary, was an ally of Paris. The news of the beginning of a new war could catch Rezanov right in California, so in addition to the main mission, he also served as a spy.

In his diary, Rezanov noted that it would not be difficult to drive the Spaniards out of California and seize these lands in case of war. In the meantime, there is no war, he previously agreed on the construction of a Russian settlement near San Francisco. The Fort Ross fortress, which arose somewhat later, was supposed to supply Alaskan settlements with food.

Of course, the success of the mission was also facilitated by the romance between Rezanov, who had been widowed by that time (the daughter of the merchant Shelikhov had died four years earlier from puerperal fever) and sixteen-year-old Maria Arguello, the daughter of the commandant of San Francisco. The further fate of Rezanov is well known thanks to the popular rock opera: the marriage between the Russian traveler and the Spanish beauty will not take place, and Nikolai Rezanov himself will die on his way back to St. Petersburg.

The chief ruler of the Baranov also did not waste time, and in 1812, by his order, the very fortress of Ross was founded. And in 1815, on the orders of the same Baranov, a German in the Russian service, Dr. Georg Schaeffer, went to Hawaii. King Kamehameha I during this period actively fought for the unification of the islands under his rule, and he needed allies. In exchange for military assistance, he was ready to recognize Hawaii as a Russian protectorate. This idea was actively supported by the RAC, but Tsar Alexander rejected the project and even scolded the RAC for arbitrariness. As a legacy from those times on the island of Kauai in the modern US state of Hawaii is the Elizabethan Fortress, built by Russian colonists.

Decembrist uprising

In 1824, the future Decembrist Kondraty Ryleev, who fanatically defended the idea of ​​developing the Pacific coast of America from Alaska to California by Russian hands, with subsequent annexation, became the ruler of the office of the Russian American Company. But for St. Petersburg, the implementation of such projects meant an almost guaranteed war with half of the European powers and completely spoiled relations with the young North American states. In addition, there were frankly not enough resources for such expansion: the entire Russian population of North America at the best of times did not exceed several thousand people.

At the same time, the St. Petersburg office of the RAC, through the efforts of Ryleev, turned into a nest of conspirators. It was there that a coup d'état, the overthrow of the monarchy, the seizure of power and other illegal actions were planned. And it is not surprising that Nicholas I, having suppressed an attempt to overthrow him, cooled off towards the RAC.

With the accession of Nicholas I, another important process began, which subsequently made the sale of colonies inevitable. If in the times of Paul and Alexander the RAC was controlled by a complex symbiosis of officials and merchants, then under Nicholas the military began to take the lead, who did not have the proper trade ingenuity and the necessary managerial talents for the development of Russian colonies.

At the same time, the number of fur-bearing animals began to decline - both due to the vigorous activity of Russian hunters, and through the fault of foreign poachers. Several attempts were made to supply ice and timber to California, but the venture was not successful, although Boston merchants were floating ice as far as Australia at the same time.

The company was rapidly piling up in debt. In 1841, Fort Ross in California was sold, which never became profitable - it was cheaper to buy provisions from the Californians than to maintain their own production. But the saddest thing is that Russia never received the money for the sale of its colony. First, the buyer tried to deceive the treasury, and when the States that seized California called the new owner of the land to account, RAC representative William Seward, having received the missing amount, simply disappeared with the money in an unknown direction.

Threatened by the gold rush

In the early 1850s, the idea of ​​the need to sell all Russian possessions in North America was expressed by the governor of Eastern Siberia, Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky. At that time, he was not supported. But the Crimean War, which began in 1853, made the situation more and more difficult - it would not have been difficult for the British to knock out scanty Russian forces from the continent.

In order to secure Russian possessions, the tsarist diplomats in Washington launched a frantic activity, since the strengthening of Britain in the north of the continent did not fit into Washington's plans for the future of America. There were enough hotheads in the leadership of the young country who believed that the war that had begun in Europe was an opportunity to knock the British out even of Canada and bring the joy of the democracy of the United States to the colonists oppressed by the crown.

#(interviewpolit)As a result, an agreement was reached between Russia and the United States on a fictitious lease of Alaska for a period of three years. Thus, any British cannonball launched in the direction of Novo-Arkhangelsk could be regarded as an aggression against the United States, with all the attendant consequences for the British. However, the lease did not take place: having learned about the ongoing negotiations, the Hudson's Bay Company (the English equivalent of the RAC operating in Canada) offered the Russian American Company to conclude a separate peace, and the need for a fictitious lease simply disappeared. All reasonable people in St. Petersburg understood that Russia was frankly lucky to play on the contradictions between Washington and London, but in the future this land could become a reason for contention not only with the British, but also with the Americans.

By that time, Petersburg already knew about the large reserves of gold and other valuable minerals in the Russian New World. But how they can be mastered, no one understood. Meanwhile, sooner or later everyone would have known about the deposits in the north, and numerous seekers of happiness would have rushed to Alaska. The California gold rush attracted about 300,000 miners. Alaska, guarded by a few Russian bayonets, could attract little less.

Even the Americans, who found it much easier to explore Alaska, kept the secret about the riches of the peninsula for 30 years, understanding the possible consequences.

Trade is quite appropriate

At the same time, the vigorous activity of Muravyov-Amursky and Count Ignatiev significantly expanded Russian possessions in the Far East. These lands also needed to be developed and protected from encroachments by other powers. And if Nicholas I, regarding Alaska as a “suitcase without a handle”, continued to endure the unprofitable RAK, since “where the Russian flag is once raised, it should not go down there,” then Alexander II, who replaced him, and his brother Konstantin Nikolayevich held completely different views. .

After the Crimean War, the country was financially depleted, and the unprofitable RAC dangled around the neck of the state with an additional burden. There was frankly nothing to develop the lands of the New World, and the question was solely how to lose Alaska - voluntarily and for a full dollar or forcibly, as a result of military operations.

The main supporter of the idea of ​​ceding Alaska was the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich. He was supported by Finance Minister Mikhail Reitern. After some hesitation, Foreign Minister Alexander Gorchakov also joined them. On December 16, 1866, a meeting was held, which was attended by the emperor, the designated persons, as well as the ambassador to the United States, Eduard Stekl, and the Minister of the Navy, Nikolai Krabbe.

It is significant that representatives of the RAC were not even invited to this meeting - her initiative frankly irritated St. Petersburg. The results of the meeting were predetermined, and in parallel they also agreed on a figure - the minimum amount for which the Empire was ready to cede its overseas possessions was 5 million dollars. Having supplied Stekl with these simple instructions, he was seconded back to Washington.

The Russian envoy arrived in the capital of the United States in early March, having managed to fall seriously ill on the way. He spent most of the month in bed, but without even leaving home, he successfully negotiated with his American colleagues and, above all, with Secretary of State Seward.

William Seward was a principle supporter of the idea of ​​extending the territory of the United States to both Americas, in addition, thanks to Glass, he was well aware of the natural wealth of Alaska. In general, the proposal of St. Petersburg was more than interested, and in several rounds the tsar's envoy was able to raise the price to 7 million. Stekl also wanted to impose RAC debts on the United States, but he did not succeed - they agreed on an additional 200 thousand. Thus, the Russian envoy managed to increase the minimum amount by almost one and a half times.

It remained to convince the American Congress of the need for the purchase, but no one wanted to tell the American Parliament about the benefits of the purchase - the amount of 7 million 200 thousand for the war-ravaged USA was more than sensitive.

Meanwhile, the final text of the treaty arrived from St. Petersburg (by the way, the State Department kindly paid the sum of 10,000 dollars for the Russian consulate to use the telegraph while the document was being negotiated). Around midnight, Stekl ran home with the document to Seward, who whiled away Friday evening playing whist with his family. The Secretary of State, who was keen to have the agreement ratified in Congress before spring break, suggested not waiting until morning, but meeting in his office in a couple of hours.

"Corruption will ruin this country"

That same night, in the presence of Steckl, Seward, several consular and State Department officials, and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Charles Sumner, the treaty was signed. At the same time, both Sumner and President Andrew Johnson rather trusted Seward's opinion - they did not understand the real benefits of buying Alaska. In addition, unlike the appointed official Seward, elected politicians were forced to look at public opinion: the civil war ended less than two years ago, and America had not much more money than Russia, devastated by the Crimean War and the costly reforms of Alexander II.

Seward had to use all his influence in the Republican Party to get the treaty through Parliament as quickly as possible. Saturday, March 30, was the last day of the Congress before the holidays, and the treaty was specially submitted for ratification before the holidays - in order to deprive the opposition of the opportunity to drown the document in endless discussions. The parliamentarians really wanted to leave Washington, and President Johnson, knowing this, deliberately extended the work of Congress because of the deal with the Russians.

But Seward still lacked votes: American society was opposed to the purchase. And while the Secretary of State, the President and Senator Sumner called for party discipline, Baron Steckl handed out bribes to congressmen - about $ 400,000 was spent on them, but, apparently, the baron banally put half of this amount in his pocket.

The American press managed to call Alaska "Seward's refrigerator" and noted the Russian envoy's violent activity in corrupting senior US officials - there were cries that the parliament was banally bought by the Russians. On the other side of the ocean, in St. Petersburg, the reverse process was gaining momentum: Stekl was accused of taking bribes from the Americans, which is why he allegedly advised the tsar-father and minister Gorchakov to sell Russian lands. The Russian nobility, accustomed to fairly easy expansion, still lived according to the Nikolaev maxim: "Where the Russian flag is once raised, it should not go down there."

It was precisely because Russia's refusal from Alaska was really painful that many subsequent myths arose, including the one that the promised money never arrived in St. Petersburg (in fact, railway equipment was purchased in England for these 7 million).

With Eduard Stekl, the sale of colonies played a cruel joke at all. Such a successful deal, which the baron implemented in the shortest possible time, having increased the initial price by one and a half times, put an end to his diplomatic career. The high society did not forgive him for "betrayal", and a year later he was forced to resign.

Tsar Alexander thanked his envoy with a one-time bonus of 25,000 rubles and an annual pension of 6,000 rubles. There was also money allegedly spent on bribes to congressmen. The rest of his life, the Russian ambassador lived in Paris.

The fact that the colonies were sold was found out in Novo-Arkhangelsk in May. The last Russian ruler of these territories, Prince Maksutov, refused to participate in the land transfer ceremony, which was scheduled for October 18, 1867. As a result, the Russian side was represented by the captain of the second rank Alexei Peshchurov.

In a solemn atmosphere, the flag of the Russian Empire was lowered. Novo-Arkhangelsk was renamed Sitka (after the name of the island on which the city is located). The history of the Russian empire in the New World is over.

Text: Alexander Antoshin

Image copyright AP Image caption In the sea opposite the former Russian settlement of Sitka, as two centuries ago, you can meet whales

Russian America emerged 230 years ago. On October 22, 1784, an expedition led by the Irkutsk merchant Grigory Shelikhov founded the first permanent settlement on Kodiak Island off the coast of Alaska.

The ships "Three Saints", "St. Simeon" and "St. Michael" reached Alaska on August 14th. Approximately two months were spent on choosing a suitable site and preparatory work.

Four years later, the village suffered from a tsunami and was moved to the other end of the island, receiving the name of Pavlovsk Harbor.

In 1793, five monks from the Valaam Monastery, headed by the newly appointed Bishop Joasaph of Kodiak, arrived in Kodiak, who began to convert the Aleuts to Orthodoxy and built a temple with their forces.

In 1795, the colonization of continental Alaska began, four years later the future capital of Russian America, Sitka, was founded, where two hundred Russians and a thousand Aleuts soon lived.

The main type of economic activity throughout the history of Russian Alaska has been the extraction of sables, foxes, beavers and sea otters. Furs were in great demand not only in Russia, but also in Europe, where the climate was much harsher than it is today.

In parallel with Shelikhov, the people of the merchant Lebedev-Lastochkin tried to develop the territory, but in 1798 he went bankrupt.

Shelikhov died in 1795 as a fabulously wealthy man. Only in the first three years of work, he managed to increase the initially invested capital twenty times.

In 1799, his son-in-law, count and chamberlain Nikolai Rezanov, founded the Russian-American Company, whose shareholders included members of the imperial family.

The Russian-American Company was created in the image and likeness of the British East India Company. By decree of Paul I, a private enterprise was given the authority to manage Alaska, a flag was assigned, it was allowed to have armed formations and ships.

The actual ruler of the region for 20 years was Shelikhov's associate Alexander Baranov, the same talented entrepreneur and effective manager as his predecessor.

In 1808 he founded a new capital - Novo-Arkhangelsk.

In 1824, Russia and Britain entered into an agreement that established the border between Russian America and Canada.

pioneers

The Indians told the Russians that in ancient times tall, fair-skinned and bearded people lived in Alaska, worshiping icons.

Some historians believe that they could have been Novgorod ushkuyns who fled from the terror of Ivan the Terrible, but there is no evidence.

Alaska was discovered in 1648 by the Cossack Semyon Dezhnev.

Many islands and geographical points were named Russian. They were usually named after the patron saint of the day on which the discovery was made. The highest mountain in Alaska is called Mount St. Elias, and the largest island in the Bering Strait is St. Lawrence Island Andrei Burovsky, historian

Coming out on seven kochs from the mouth of the Kolyma, he passed "from the Icy Sea to the Warm Sea" and completed his journey in Anadyr.

The cape in Chukotka bears the name Dezhnev - this is the extreme northeastern tip of Eurasia.

Peter I did not fully trust Dezhnev's information and organized an expedition by Vitus Bering and Alexei Chirikov to finally make sure whether Asia was connected to America or not.

The ships of Bering and Chirikov set sail after the death of the reformer tsar, on June 8, 1728, and passed from south to north through the strait named after Bering, but they did not see the American coast due to fog.

In 1732, the sailors of the boat "St. Gabriel" under the command of Mikhail Gvozdev landed in Alaska for the first time.

In 1741, the second expedition of Bering and Chirikov examined in detail and mapped the coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.

James Cook was the first Western European to visit Alaska in 1778. A few months later, the Spanish expedition of Gonzalo de Haro visited Kodiak, where they were hospitably received by the Russians.

Freedom and oppression

According to researchers, the colonization of Siberia turned out to be one of the most successful projects in the history of Russia, because, with the support and encouragement from the state, it relied primarily on private initiative.

In Alaska, the settlers lived in accordance with the words of Nikolai Nekrasov - "they were given land and freedom."

Shelikhov became famous for the phrase: "Merchant origin is not vile."

When asked by Baranov whether he was ever going to return to central Russia, one of the colonists answered in the negative, explaining: "There is no bar in America!"

The fate of the indigenous population was not so rosy.

The natives were forced to pay tribute in furs, the recalcitrant were beaten into stocks and flogged with rods.

It is a pity that Alexander Baranov is a little-known person. This man was outstanding, and even with the complete absence of help from St. Petersburg, money and strength, he managed to expand Russian America almost throughout the entire territory of the current state of Alaska Andrei Burovsky

Relations between the Russians and the two main groups of local inhabitants developed in different ways.

Warlike Koloshi (Tlingit), who quickly learned how to handle firearms, desperately resisted colonization. The peace-loving Aleuts, who had long suffered from harassment by the Koloshi, were willingly hired to work for their new masters.

The Aleuts began to live in wooden huts and dress in Russian clothes. Mixed marriages soon arose.

Almost all of them were baptized, and the priest John Veneaminov, nicknamed the "Apostle of Alaska", studied the Aleut language and translated the Bible into it. Some of the Aleuts profess Orthodoxy today.

At the same time, due to alcoholism and European diseases, the number of Aleuts decreased from about 20 thousand to 2247 people in 1834.

In 1805, the Koloshi, led by the toyon (leader) Kotlean, raised a major uprising, captured Sitka, which never recovered from the defeat, and Fort Yakutat, massacring all Russians and Aleuts there, regardless of age and gender.

In one of the museums in Alaska, the trophies they captured are kept: a copper cannon and the sword of commandant Yakutat Larionov. Larionov's son spent fifteen years in captivity with the Tlingits.

When the Russians laid siege to Sitka, the Koloshi slipped out of it at night, having first killed their children and the elderly, as well as dogs, so that they would not betray them by barking.

The conquerors also cracked down on opponents, but they still did not touch the children. Koloshi understood this in their own way. One of the captives said to Baranov: "I'm not afraid of you, it's you who are afraid of even babies!"

Koloshi ate one Orthodox missionary, declaring that, in the spirit of Christian teaching, they took communion with flesh and blood.

"Juno and Avos"

The history of the first Russian "circumnavigation" is closely connected with Alaska.

Ivan Kruzenshtern "fell ill" with this idea while still in the Naval Corps and for a long time bombarded the authorities with memorandums.

According to his biographer Nikolai Chukovsky, Paul I, having familiarized himself with the project, imposed a resolution on it: "What nonsense!"

But Rezanov did not see the idea of ​​the unknown captain-lieutenant as nonsense. After the assassination of Pavel, he lobbied for a round-the-world voyage on the sloops Nadezhda and Neva in order to reinforce the position of the Russian-American Company by displaying the flag, export furs to China and Japan, and establish an agricultural colony in California to supply Alaska with bread.

The company assumed the lion's share of the costs.

Since the Chinese and Japanese nobles would not talk to ordinary sailors, the count himself sailed on the Hope in the rank of envoy.

The sale of furs in Shanghai made it possible to cover all the costs of the trip, but Rezanov's mission to Nagasaki failed. Japan refused to come out of self-isolation, and the mikado sent back the gifts of Alexander I.

Relations between the chief and the sponsor of the expedition did not work out. Kruzenshtern felt offended that he, the commander of a warship, was forced to serve private commercial interests.

Subordinate to Rezanov, I can’t be useful, I don’t want to be useless From a letter from Kruzenshtern to the board of the Russian-American Company

He wanted to be in free swimming and discover new lands, but he had to beat off Sitka from the ears, then trade furs in Shanghai.

When, in the third year of the expedition, Rezanov demanded that he be taken to California, Kruzenshtern declared that he considered his task completed and returned to St. Petersburg.

Rezanov set sail on the commercial sailboat "Juno", bought from the Americans. The brig "Avos" laid down by his order in Alaska was still being completed, but on the way back Rezanov sailed on it to Okhotsk.

In the capital of Spanish California, Erba Buena (now San Francisco), a romantic story happened, known from the rock opera by Alexei Rybnikov and Andrei Voznesensky "Juno" and "Avos": a 43-year-old Russian nobleman and a 16-year-old daughter of the commandant of the city Conchita Arguello fell in love each other.

The happiness lasted only six weeks. Rezanov declared that he had to get permission for marriage from his emperor, set off on a long journey to Okhotsk and then overland through Siberia, fell off his horse on the way, hit his head hard and died in Krasnoyarsk.

Conchita never married, became a Catholic nun under the name of Sister Dominica, and dedicated her life to preaching the gospel to the Indians.

Rezanov and Conchita are compared to Romeo and Juliet and they talk about the great tragic love that connected the continents. However, some historians, citing letters from the Count to his patron, Minister of Commerce Rumyantsev, argue that he cynically played with the feelings of a young girl in order to advance Russian diplomatic and trade interests.

Whether his courtship played a role or not, the Spanish authorities, usually extremely suspicious of any activity of foreigners in their overseas possessions, gave permission.

In March 1812, the first settlers arrived from Alaska - 25 Russians and 80 Aleuts, led by Ivan Kuskov - and on September 11, the grand opening of the Fort Ross colony took place.

Stupidity or sober calculation?

On March 18, 1867, Russian possessions in America with a total area of ​​580,107 square kilometers were sold to the United States for 7.2 million dollars - contrary to the myth widespread in Russia, they were sold, not leased for 99 years.

The treaty was signed in Washington by Secretary of State William Seward and Russian envoy Baron Eduard Steckl. On March 23, the St. Petersburg newspapers reported on the incident.

The fate of Alaska was finally decided at a meeting on December 16, 1866, chaired by Alexander II. All participants were in favor of the sale, and the lower price ceiling, which Russia was ready to accept, was set at five million.

With the invention and development of railroads, more than before, we must be convinced of the idea that the North American States will inevitably spread throughout North America, and we cannot help but bear in mind that sooner or later our Count Muravyov will have to cede North American possessions to them. -Amur

The tsarist government did not bother to explain its actions to the public. Many perceived the sale of Alaska with indignation.

Sankt-Peterburgskiye Vedomosti described how, on the day of the official transfer of territory, the Russian flag "didn't want to go down," so a sailor had to be sent to climb the flagpole and untie it. A similar story was subsequently told about the lowering of the Soviet flag over the Kremlin on December 25, 1991.

An additional political urgency to the issue was given by the fact that the initiative to sell Alaska was wholly attributed to the emperor's brother, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, the main court liberal.

In the United States, the deal was also met without enthusiasm. The press castigated the "stupidity of Seward" who "bought a chest of ice from the Russians."

And in modern Russia, Alexander II is often condemned, especially in light of the fact that gold was discovered in Alaska at the end of the 19th century. Geologist Vladimir Obruchev claimed that only in the period before the Russian Revolution, the Americans mined precious metal there for 200 million dollars.

The author of the book "Russian America: Glory and Shame" Alexander Bushkov expressed regret that the terrorist Karakozov, who shot at the tsar 11 months before the signing of the treaty, missed: otherwise, they say, Alaska would be Russian today.

However, not only Konstantin Nikolaevich advocated the sale of Alaska, but also such undoubted patriots as Chancellor Gorchakov and the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Count Muravyov-Amursky. And they had reasons.

Geopolitical solitaire

For 250 years, Russia has consistently strived to be a key geopolitical player, which inevitably led to enmity with the power that claims the same thing more than others.

In the 19th century, this was Britain. In defiance of London, Russia was friends with its former colony, then modest and inconspicuous on the world stage, like water. Even the ideological differences between the autocratic monarchy and the republic did not interfere.

In 1838, the American George Sumner presented Nicholas I with an acorn from the oak that overshadowed the grave of George Washington, and the tsar personally planted it in Peterhof, and when the tree sprouted, he ordered a bronze tablet to be installed next to it. The "Washington Oak" has survived to this day.

According to historian Edward Radzinsky, the issue of selling Alaska was considered even then.

The number of fur-bearing animals fell, the territory began to cause losses.

The Russian population of Alaska in the best of times did not reach a thousand people. The Trans-Siberian Railway, Vladivostok and the Pacific Fleet did not yet exist.

During the Crimean War, fears arose that Alaska might be captured by the British, and there would be nothing to oppose this, so it would be better to transfer it to a friendly state.

The colonization of the Wild West made a strong impression on St. Petersburg. Analysts of that time understood that if armed settlers pouring into Alaska who did not obey anyone, there would be no one to stop them, and in Washington they would only shrug at the demand to appease their citizens.

If the Americans decided to take Alaska, Russia would not be able to defend it. There was little doubt in Petersburg that sooner or later this could happen. It was unrealistic to fight for distant lands Edward Radzinsky, historian

The example of Fort Ross testifies that gold is not always good.

26 years before Alaska, in 1841, Russia sold it to the American businessman Johann Sutter. He organized an exemplary animal husbandry.

Seven years later, the gold rush began in California.

Theoretically, Sutter became one of the richest people in the world. But in the middle of the century before last, the only argument in the Wild West was the hard drive.

First, the workers abandoned the fields and farms and fled to wash the gold, then the adventurers from the eastern states plundered the colony and killed Sutter's three sons. The courts ruled in his favor several decisions, but there was no one to execute them. The rightful owner of countless treasures died in New York in poverty.

Even the Ussuri region, as writer Nikolai Garin-Mikhailovsky, a participant in the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, noted 40 years after its annexation, was sparsely populated and badly managed, so the question arose whether Russia needed this land.

As Andrei Burovsky points out, the country simply did not have the resources to develop overseas possessions along with boundless Siberia.