The history of Alaska has often been complex, in terms of how it was colonised by European powers, so it is perhaps less surprising than it sounds that Russia was one of the nations which played a major role in its development. Although not much of a palpable legacy was left behind, they did play a key role. They also encountered significant conflict with local Native Americans.
On the Aleutian Islands, some four fifths of the native Aleuts died as a result of European diseases, against which they had almost no resistance. Other Native Americans got on reasonably well with the Russian traders who began to appear during the 18th century. In other places, though, there was significant conflict, which took its toll on the native population.
The first Russian colony was established in Three Saints Bay on Kodiak Island, with the expedition led by the explorer Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov, in 1784. This did not well for the local indigenous people, with the Russians killing many hundreds of the local Koniag people. By 1788, there were several Russian settlements in place, especially in the area of mainland adjacent to Cook Inlet.
One of the triggers for this Russian expansion in the area was the presence of sea otters with especially fine pelts. Despite this economic impetus, Russian progress in the area was still slow, largely due to a shortage of sailors; they also lacked the ships needed to make a proper attempt at colonisation. The Russians managed to reach Yakutat Bay by 1794, and by 1795 had constructed the settlement called Slavorossiya there.
In 1795, Alexandr Baranov had sailed into Sitka Sound, and claimed it for the Tsar of Russia. Hunting parties followed soon after, and by the early 1800s a huge majority of the otter skins the Russian-American colonies were producing came from this area. The settlement of Arkhangelsk would also be established by Baranov, though Tlingit Native Americans would destroy this settlement 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.
The Russians did not leave very much which was tangible behind them, apart from their religion. The Russian Orthodox faith was proselytised vigorously in the Aleutian Islands, and a missionary presence would be maintained by the church there until the mid-19th century. Translations of holy texts into the Aleut language were completed very early on.
The Russian influence on the history of Alaska may not be well known, but it was certainly significant. It contributed directly to the depopulation of the native Aleuts, whose numbers plunged in the wake of Russian contact. The most lasting legacy of Russian colonialism here comes in the form of the Russian Orthodox Church.
On the Aleutian Islands, some four fifths of the native Aleuts died as a result of European diseases, against which they had almost no resistance. Other Native Americans got on reasonably well with the Russian traders who began to appear during the 18th century. In other places, though, there was significant conflict, which took its toll on the native population.
The first Russian colony was established in Three Saints Bay on Kodiak Island, with the expedition led by the explorer Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov, in 1784. This did not well for the local indigenous people, with the Russians killing many hundreds of the local Koniag people. By 1788, there were several Russian settlements in place, especially in the area of mainland adjacent to Cook Inlet.
One of the triggers for this Russian expansion in the area was the presence of sea otters with especially fine pelts. Despite this economic impetus, Russian progress in the area was still slow, largely due to a shortage of sailors; they also lacked the ships needed to make a proper attempt at colonisation. The Russians managed to reach Yakutat Bay by 1794, and by 1795 had constructed the settlement called Slavorossiya there.
In 1795, Alexandr Baranov had sailed into Sitka Sound, and claimed it for the Tsar of Russia. Hunting parties followed soon after, and by the early 1800s a huge majority of the otter skins the Russian-American colonies were producing came from this area. The settlement of Arkhangelsk would also be established by Baranov, though Tlingit Native Americans would destroy this settlement 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.
The Russians did not leave very much which was tangible behind them, apart from their religion. The Russian Orthodox faith was proselytised vigorously in the Aleutian Islands, and a missionary presence would be maintained by the church there until the mid-19th century. Translations of holy texts into the Aleut language were completed very early on.
The Russian influence on the history of Alaska may not be well known, but it was certainly significant. It contributed directly to the depopulation of the native Aleuts, whose numbers plunged in the wake of Russian contact. The most lasting legacy of Russian colonialism here comes in the form of the Russian Orthodox Church.
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