This document is a shortened ‘BILL OF SALE’ from The Russian-American Company
to John A. Sutter from New Helvetia. See the Glossary for an explanation of the
measurements.
December 20th, 1841
Inventory and Bill of Sale transferring possession of Russia’s California Properties
to John Sutter.
Inventory of structures and chattels located at Port Bodega, the Ross Settlement, and the
Russian-American Company ranchos.
AT THE ROSS SETTLEMENT.
A square fort surrounded by a row of posts 172 sazhens long by 2 sazhens high. There are
turrets in two of the corners. Inside the fort are the following structures:
The old house for the commandant, two stories, built of beams. There
are 6 rooms and a
kitchen.
The new house for the commandant... There are 6 rooms and vestibule.
The house for Company employees, which has ten rooms and 2
vestibules
The barracks with 8 rooms and 2 vestibules...
The old warehouse, two stories, with an open gallery and pillars.
The granary, built of planks
A kitchen
A storehouse for provisions
An attached jailhouse
The chapel with a cupola
A well, 2 1/2 sazhens deep
Outside the fort there are a forge and blacksmith shop, a tannery, the public bath, a
cooperage, a shed for baidarkas. Around the fort is a public kitchen, two byres built of
beams, a corral, a shed for ewes, a shed for swine, a dairy, a storehouse for cleaning
wheat, a wooden threshing floor, a windmill with a grindstone, a windmill with one stone,
a horse powered mill with a grindstone, a machine for making cordage, a carpentry shed, a
planked floor for winnowing wheat, a well,
In addition there are 24 dwellings around the fort. At almost every dwelling there is an
orchard enclosed by palings, and there are 8 sheds, 8 bathhouses, and 10 kitchens.
Ross Settlement - continued -
Located at 500 sazhens from the fort there are the following:
A planked threshing floor, with an adjoining shed,
An orchard with more than 260 fruit trees including 207 apple trees,
29 peach trees, 10 pear trees, 10 quince trees, 8 cherry trees.
In the orchard there is a new four-room house. The house has a
kitchen
A small garden with some 20 fruit trees. At Ross there is as much as 70
arpents of arable land, most of which is
enclosed by fences. Another fruit garden enclosed by a
fence...with a small orange grove.
THE KOSTROMITINOV RANCH:
A barracks.....covered with planking with 3 rooms and a vestibule.
A warehouse.....covered with planking. there are seed storage
compartments
inside....
A house...
Two wooden threshing floors...
A wheat-winnowing floor...built on posts.
A shack for Indians, built of planks....
A kitchen...with two stoves.
A bathhouse...
A boat for crossing the Slavianka river.
THE KHLEBNIKOV RANCH:
A 3-room adobe house...covered with planks and surrounded by a
hedge.
Next to it is a sundial.
A barracks...divided into 3 sections, covered with planks.
A storehouse...covered with planks, with compartments for storing
seed.
A large wood threshing floor...
A kitchen and a forge...covered with planks.
4 shacks for the Indians and for storing provisions. These are of
various
dimensions.
A horse-powered mill with one stone, which can grind 4 fanegas per
day.
A large corral for the livestock.
The arable land is enclosed by a fence. The fields here produce very
good fava beans,
maize, tobacco, watermelons, and other things.
THE CHERNYKH RANCH:
A 6 room barracks...covered with planks.
A kitchen...
A bathhouse...
A storehouse for provisions...covered with planks
A floor for winnowing wheat...
Two shacks for supplies.
A threshing floor...
Two hothouses made of planks...
The arable land is enclosed by a fence....
BODEGA
A storehouse with an open gallery surrounded by columns...covered
with planks, well
suited for storing seeds and merchandise.
A house...with 3 rooms and a stove.
A bath house
A corral.
A boat.
A cottage on the grazing ground
A large corral.
A shack and a corral.
The boats: a copper covered small boat, well suited for navigating all
along the coast
of California. 25 tons.
Two hide covered launches, one has 16 oars, the other, 18.
A baidarka.
A long boat.
Machinery and agricultural equipment: a Cast iron [ecopaise] for
threshing
wheat. A fogh harrow, 27 ox drawn plows. 24 horse
drawn plows. 26
pairs of plowshares. 21 harrows. 24 harnesses.
30 horse
harnesses. 21 bridles. 29 saddles. 8 bridles bits.
20 shadracks. 16 saddle blankets. 54-wheeled
carts. 10 2-wheeled
carts. 15 pairs
of wheels.
Furnishings:
14 laurel wood chairs.
4 armchairs.
1 couch.
1 oval table
1 square table.
Furnishings - continued -
1 armoire
1 ordinary square table
2 counting tables.
4 sofa pads.
8 pads.
1 bed mattress.
3 mattress cases.
3 cushion cases.
2 bed sheets.
8 chairs covered with hide.
11 wood chairs.
3 armoires with windows.
4 ditto.
6 spring-roller shades.
Livestock:
1700 head of horned beasts, namely oxen, cows.
940 horses and mules.
900 ewes and wethers.
SIGNED
P. Kostromitinov
Signed
J.A. SutterReceived from Mr. Sutter in the month of December, 1841, in
Spanish piasters $400.00
Due from Mr. Sutter to the Russian-American Company
$33,468.16
TOTAL $33,868.16
Signed
P. Kostromitinov
Port San Francisco
19 December 1842 vs.
Current Account
Russian-American and Mr. Sutter
According to the stipulated contract, $30,000 for the sale of the structures and chattels
at Ross. By another current account for various merchandise, provisions, and goods to
total
$ 3,868.16
TOTAL $33,868.16
The Contract continues to describe how payments will be made, when payments will be made,
what price is being paid, and what amount of grain will be delivered for payment. It
states when Mr. Sutter will have the grain ready and at what port. The contract also goes
into detail who will pay the cost of shipping, who will load the grain, and what will
happen if the grain is in fact not available. The last part of the contract goes into
detail about what would happen if the two countries go to war. Finally, it describes what
might happen if payment is not made.