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.
The inhabitants of the Aleutian Islands were especially hard hit as a result of Russian incursions. Disease played a massive part in the death of around 80 per cent of the population of the Aleuts. Some Native Americans in other parts of Alaska did enjoy more positive contact with the Russians, though generally speaking this was not very common.
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.
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.
Russian influence on the history of Alaska did not last that long, nor did it leave many visible traces of its presence. Mainly a fur trapping enterprise, one of its few significant tangible legacies is the continued presence of the Russian Orthodox Church in certain places. The Russians also played a significant role in the decline of local native populations.
The inhabitants of the Aleutian Islands were especially hard hit as a result of Russian incursions. Disease played a massive part in the death of around 80 per cent of the population of the Aleuts. Some Native Americans in other parts of Alaska did enjoy more positive contact with the Russians, though generally speaking this was not very common.
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.
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.
Russian influence on the history of Alaska did not last that long, nor did it leave many visible traces of its presence. Mainly a fur trapping enterprise, one of its few significant tangible legacies is the continued presence of the Russian Orthodox Church in certain places. The Russians also played a significant role in the decline of local native populations.
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