The part of the United States which is now known as Alaska has been colonised by several European powers in its history. Surprisingly, perhaps, one of these is Russia, which actually played a significant role in the history of Alaska. Contact with the local Native Americans did not always turn out very well for the indigenous groups in the area though.
One of the Native groups who came into damaging contact with the Russians were the Aleuts, who suffered considerably from their lack of resistance to European diseases. Almost 80 per cent of the original inhabitants of the Aleutian Isles were killed by diseases, and there was also significant conflict with other Native groups too. Contact between the Russians and the Natives was not always disastrous though, and in some areas the two groups interacted reasonably well.
Three Saints Bay, Kodiak Island, was the site of the first proper Russian colony in the region. An explorer called Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov was responsible for its establishment, in 1784, and by the time 1788 was over there were several other colonies around Cook Inlet. The local Koniag people though were killed in large numbers by the Russians.
Much of the economic motivation for this colonisation was the presence in the area of sea otters with very high quality furs. There was a shortage of sailors and ships which hampered Russian exploitation of this resource though. Despite this hindrance, the Russians did manage to reach Yakutat Bay in 1794, and had built a small town which came to be known as Slavorossiya there by 1795.
Alexandr Baranov claimed Sitka Sound for Russia in 1795, and many hunting parties, chasing furs, followed in his wake. By the time the 19th century arrived, the vast majority of otter pelts produced by the Russian American colonies came from this specific area. Arkhangelsk, later the city of Sitka, would be established around this time, though it was destroyed by the Tlingit Native American nation in 1802.
It was rebuilt though, in 1804, and came to be known as Sitka, once the Americans had established control over Alaska. As Sitka, it would become the capital of Alaska Territory. The Russian presence in the area did not last long though, and by the mid-19th century there were only around 700 or so Russian settlers in the region, as American influence began to grow on trading arrangements, and the Tlingits continued to wage war on the Russians.
This means that the Russian presence did not leave many traces of its presence in Alaska, but one significant cultural legacy was preserved, especially in the Aleutian Islands. The Russian Orthodox faith would maintain a missionary presence in the territory until late in the 1800s, with the sacred texts being translated in Aleut very soon after initial contact. There are still adherents of this form of Christianity in the region.
The Russians actually played a reasonably significant role in the history of Alaska. Although they left little tangible sign of their presence, beyond the lingering presence of their religion in some places, they were an important part of the colonial era. Sadly, they also contributed to the decline of the Native American population in the region, with the diseases and conflict that they brought resulting in the deaths of large numbers of indigenous people.
One of the Native groups who came into damaging contact with the Russians were the Aleuts, who suffered considerably from their lack of resistance to European diseases. Almost 80 per cent of the original inhabitants of the Aleutian Isles were killed by diseases, and there was also significant conflict with other Native groups too. Contact between the Russians and the Natives was not always disastrous though, and in some areas the two groups interacted reasonably well.
Three Saints Bay, Kodiak Island, was the site of the first proper Russian colony in the region. An explorer called Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov was responsible for its establishment, in 1784, and by the time 1788 was over there were several other colonies around Cook Inlet. The local Koniag people though were killed in large numbers by the Russians.
Much of the economic motivation for this colonisation was the presence in the area of sea otters with very high quality furs. There was a shortage of sailors and ships which hampered Russian exploitation of this resource though. Despite this hindrance, the Russians did manage to reach Yakutat Bay in 1794, and had built a small town which came to be known as Slavorossiya there by 1795.
Alexandr Baranov claimed Sitka Sound for Russia in 1795, and many hunting parties, chasing furs, followed in his wake. By the time the 19th century arrived, the vast majority of otter pelts produced by the Russian American colonies came from this specific area. Arkhangelsk, later the city of Sitka, would be established around this time, though it was destroyed by the Tlingit Native American nation in 1802.
It was rebuilt though, in 1804, and came to be known as Sitka, once the Americans had established control over Alaska. As Sitka, it would become the capital of Alaska Territory. The Russian presence in the area did not last long though, and by the mid-19th century there were only around 700 or so Russian settlers in the region, as American influence began to grow on trading arrangements, and the Tlingits continued to wage war on the Russians.
This means that the Russian presence did not leave many traces of its presence in Alaska, but one significant cultural legacy was preserved, especially in the Aleutian Islands. The Russian Orthodox faith would maintain a missionary presence in the territory until late in the 1800s, with the sacred texts being translated in Aleut very soon after initial contact. There are still adherents of this form of Christianity in the region.
The Russians actually played a reasonably significant role in the history of Alaska. Although they left little tangible sign of their presence, beyond the lingering presence of their religion in some places, they were an important part of the colonial era. Sadly, they also contributed to the decline of the Native American population in the region, with the diseases and conflict that they brought resulting in the deaths of large numbers of indigenous people.
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