Fort Ross State Historic Park

Fort Ross State Historic Park

Classroom and Home Curriculum

I. How it all began!

A long time ago, in 1812, there was a big change in California. That was the year Fort Ross was established by the Russian American Company. Why in the world did the Russians come here? After all, California is a long way from Russia! In fact from the Company’s headquarters in St. Petersburg to Fort Ross it is 5,610 miles! That is more than two times the distance from New York to Fort Ross (2,540 miles). For a map of Russia, Alaska, and California click here.

First, lets talk a little about Alaska. Why Alaska? Almost all the people who came to Fort Ross when the colony was established in 1812 came from Alaska, not from mainland Russia. Today Alaska is part of the United States (it became our 49th state in 1959), but back in 1812 when Fort Ross was founded it was not an American state, but a part of the huge Russian Empire.

The Russian government owned the trade company, known as the Russian America Company (RAC), which was given a charter by Russian Czar Paul I in 1799. With that charter, the czar gave the company the right and privilege to settle in Alaska and make it part of the huge Russian Empire. The monopoly included the land, mineral rights, animal rights, military protection, and the right to build ships. The Company was also granted the sole right to establish trade relations with foreigners. So, what do you think the Russians were doing there? Well, as it turns out, they were doing a lot of the same things that they later came to Fort Ross to do so read on.

Section I, Questions:

1. What year was Fort Ross established

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2. What is the name of the company that established Fort Ross? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What country controlled Alaska before it became an American State? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

II. Sea Otters

The most important reason that the Russians went to far away Alaska was for the fur of sea otters. Some of you may have seen Sea Otters at a marine park or zoo, or if you are lucky you may have seen some frolicking in the Pacific Ocean near Monterey. They are very cute and they look very cuddly, but what people in the 1800s liked best about them was their fur.

The fur of the Sea Otter is very, very thick and soft. One square inch of Sea Otter can have as many as one million hairs - as many hairs on it as an entire dog! That means that Sea Otter fur is not only very soft and beautiful, but is also very warm. Otters need that nice coat to keep warm in the cold ocean, but, unfortunately for the poor otters, humans could also use their pelts (the skin and fur of an animal) to make warm things to wear. Sea Otter fur was so warm and nice that it became the most valuable pelt in the world. One sea otter pelt could be worth as much as it took for three people to live for one year!

Sea Otter pelts could be traded all over the world to make money. The Russian hunters living in Alaska were better at hunting animals on land than on the ocean. So they forced Native Alaskans from many tribes to hunt the Sea Otters for them. The Alaskans were very good at hunting, taking many in one day, and soon the Alaskan Sea Otter was hunted almost to extinction.

To kill a Sea Otter, the hunter must go out in the water where the otters live and feed. To do that, he must have a small and agile boat. Alaskan kayaks are perfect for the task, but not just anybody could jump into one and go out on the dangerous Pacific. Alaskan hunters were trained as young children in the skills that they would later need on the water.

A hunter also would need the right weapon to kill a Sea Otter. A gun wouldn’t really work because it left big holes in the valuable fur, and its loud bang made the Sea Otters scatter. Also, how would the hunter get the otter he had shot? A wounded otter would swim away, and a dead one would sink. Alaskan hunters used the throwing board and harpoon also called the atlatl. The harpoon had a seal-bladder float attached to it which would allow the hunter to keep track of the otter which he had hit. The hunters would usually go out to hunt in groups of twenty to thirty. The hunters would surround the otters and take aim as the otters came to the surface to breathe. For more history on the Sea Otter click here.

Section II, Questions

1. What was the most valuable pelt in the 1800s? How much could one pelt be worth?

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2. Who did most of the hunting of these animals for the Russian American Company? Why?

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3. Do we have otters in California today?

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Think about it…

1. How do you think the Alaskan Indians felt about working for the Russians?

2. Today many people feel that it is bad to kill animals in order to turn their fur into clothes. Do you think that people in the 1800s might have felt differently? Give some reasons why.

3. Describe what “extinction” means. The Russians almost hunted the otters to extinction. Do you think that they cared? Why? Are animals still being hunted to extinction today? Why?

III. Food!

Think about Alaska for just a second. What is the first thing you think of? Most people think right away of cold and snow. Burrr, long cold dark winters and short cool summers. The Russians had a very hard time growing the food that Russian settlers desperately needed. The Russians missed their food they were used to like bread, soups, and cheese. I bet you’d really miss your favorite foods! Worse, often there just wasn’t enough food for the Russians and Alaskans living near the settlements to eat. Inhabitants frequently became sick with a disease called scurvy because they didn’t have enough fruits and vegetables to provide Vitamin C for their diets.

In the 1800s, it was much harder to move things from one place to another. It was especially hard to move something like food, which doesn’t keep forever. To get food to Alaska from Russia, the Russians had to move it at least 2000 miles, a journey that could take two years! Just think what some of that food might have looked or tasted like when it finally got to the hungry Alaskan Colonists. Yuck!

Section III, Questions

1. Why didn’t the Russians just eat the food that grew in Alaska?

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2. How long did it take for food to get to Alaska from Russia?

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3. What disease is caused from not getting enough Vitamin C? What do you need to eat to get vitamin C?

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Think about it…

1. What kinds of foods do you think the Native Alaskans ate before the Russians arrived there?

Why do you think the Russians didn’t eat the same things?

2. How do you think food was prepared and packed to be sent on a two year voyage? What kinds of things might happen to it on its way?

3. How long do you think it takes for the food you eat to get to your table? What sorts of transportation are used to move different foods today? Would you miss the food you like?

IV. California…A Solution for the Russian American Company’s Food Problems.

Food! Although California is many miles from Alaska, it was much easier to sail on a ship from Alaska to California than it was to move food all the way across Russia to Alaska. Think about it!

The Spanish Missions’ gardens and fields were growing so much food that the Spanish colonists couldn’t eat it all. Many Spanish colonists and missionaries were very happy when they found out that the Russians wanted to buy or trade goods for their extra food. The Russians had many items that the Spanish really needed: things like iron for making plows, nails and tools, redwood barrels, rowboats, wheels, nice cloth for making clothes, linen for the tables, glass for windows, and black powder. The Spanish had the kinds of food that the Russians wanted and needed most: beef, grains for bread, and fruits and vegetables.

Also, establishing a settlement in California could make the Company money by hunting the sea otter. In California there were as many as 300,000 sea otters. California sea otters lived along the Pacific Coast from Baja California all the way up to today’s Oregon border. The Spanish, who controlled California in 1812, sometimes hunted the sea otter, but did not have the skillful Alaskan hunters to hunt for them.

Section IV, Questions

1. List the problems that could be solved by having a settlement in California:

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2. What could the company get from the Spanish missions’ farms and fields?

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3. How did the Russians get from Alaska to California?

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Think about it...

1. How do you think the Spanish felt about having the Russian American Company hunting otters in California?

2. Why didn’t the Spanish have things like iron and glass? Where did items have to come from to get to Spanish California for the colonists living here at the time?

V. Building a colony, hunting base, and trade center!

There was also another way that the Russians could get food in California. They could grow it themselves. But to do that, it was necessary to have someplace to grow it. And, wouldn’t it be easier to hunt sea otters in California if there were lots of Alaskan hunters living there, ready to get in to their baidarkas (kayaks) and go out in search of otters? Alexander Baranov, the Chief Manager of the Russian American Company in Sitka, Alaska was very interested in setting up a new settlement in California. So in 1808, he sent his agent, Alexander Kuskov, to select a spot where he could build a new settlement.

Kuskov looked at many locations along the Northern California Coast before he found just the right one, twelve miles north of the Slavyanka (today Russian) River. The place he chose has two beautiful coves which lie at the bottom of small but steep cliffs. Above the cliffs is a long flat piece of land which Kuskov thought could be used for fields to grow food and pasture for animals. Above the flat land are steep and tree-covered hills. The hills made it difficult to attack the site by land so the fort could be easily protected. Also, the trees covering the hills would be needed for lumber to build the fort structures.

In March of 1812, Kuskov arrived on the site with twenty-five Russians, and eighty Native Alaskans. Many of the Russians were skilled craftsmen who could help to build the settlement. The native Alaskans were also craftsmen who would help build the settlement. Perhaps even more important to the company, they brought with them their baidarkas for hunting Sea Otters. By September 10, 1812, the stockade was completed.

The Company holdings extended as far south as Bodega Bay, where Port Rumianstev at Bodega served as their main port. Over 200 hundred ships came through this port during active trading years. Most supplies and furs were kept in warehouses at Port Rumianstev. Other RAC holdings extended to inland areas where several farms were built up. Farallones Islands, west of San Francisco, was used as a hunting base for the Company. Click here for primary source information about the Farallones.

Section V, Questions

1. What was the name of the man who found the site for Colony Ross?

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2. The fort is twelve miles north of what river?

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3. How many people came from Alaska to California to establish Colony Ross?

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Think about it...

1. Although the Spanish did not have any settlements north of the San Francisco Bay, they did claim as theirs the land the Russians took to build the fort. How do you think they felt about having the Russians on “their” land?

2. If you were a Native Alaskan who was sent to California, how do you think you would feel? Why?

VI. Who was here?

NATIVE CALIFORNIANS:

Native Americans, including the Kashaya Pomo have lived in this beautiful spot for as long as 10,000 years. They are among the oldest cultures in California. The Kashaya had a rich life. The place that we call Fort Ross today the Kashaya called Metini. The people lived at Metini and also in various villages and camps in the warmer, sunnier ridges above. The villages and camps were in places where the people could easily gather and prepare different food items. From the sea, the Kashaya could gather nutritious food such as abalone, mussels, sea urchins, fish, and seaweed. On the land there were many different animals to hunt such as deer, elk, foxes, and bears. There were also many plants to gather for food: berries, seeds, roots, herbs, and the main staple of the Kashaya diet, the acorn.

The Kashaya had almost everything they needed for life here. The local trees gave wood for shelter and tools; the local animals provided food and furs for warmth. Tools were made from wood, bone, and stones like chert. Beautiful baskets could be made from local grasses and plants. The Kashaya traded with other Indian tribes to get items they couldn’t find on their own lands. One neighbor they traded with were the Coast Miwok from the Bodega region. These people were also involved with the Ross Colony. For historical pictures of Kashaya click here.

For maps of the local tribes territories and their names click here.

When theCompany first sailed into the cove at Metini in 1812 life had already changed for many California Indian Tribes. The first Spanish mission was established in 1769 near San Diego, and more missions were established along the coast north to the San Francisco Bay after that time. The lifestyles of the Indians who lived near the missions changed when the padres arrived.

The Kashaya knew about the missions. They knew they did not want a mission on their land. When the “undersea people” (the Kashaya name for the Russians) arrived, they told the Kashaya that they would help to protect them from the Spanish as well as other Indians in the area. The Kashaya could work for the Russians in exchange for things like beads, iron pots, tools, and cloth. The Russians also may have paid them for the land known as Metini with three blankets, three pairs of britches, two axes, three hoes and some beads. To see this ‘Treaty’ click here. Eventually, Native Californians from several different tribes lived and worked here at Settlement Ross: Kashaya Pomo from the lands surrounding Fort Ross, Coast Miwok from the area around Bodega Bay, Central Pomo from the lands to the north by Point Arena, and Southern Pomo from the Russian River Valley.

Golovnin -”The chief of the people living next to Port Rumiantsev came to see me when my sloop was anchored there. He brought gifts consisting of various parts of the regalia, arrow, and household items., and asked to be taken under Russian protection. An Aleut who had lived over a year among these people acted as interpreter. This chief, called Valentila, definitely wanted more Russians to settle among them in order to protect them from Spanish oppression. He begged me for a Russian flag, explaining that he wanted to raise it as a sign of friendship and peace whenever Russian ships should appear near the shore.....”

Malcolm Margolin, a professor from Sonoma State University wrote in The Way We Lived, “..unlike the Spaniards who forced the Indians into missions, or the Anglo who stole the land and treated the native residents as trespassers, the Russians came merely to hunt sea otter and grow grain for their Alaskan colony. Their behavior toward the Indians was relatively indifferent, even benign....”

Section VI, Questions

1. What was the name of the people who lived on the land where Colony Ross was built? What did they call it?

What was the name of the people who lived at and around Bodega Bay?

2. In what ways do you think that the lives of the Kashaya Pomo and Coast Miwok were changed after the Russians arrived here?

3. Think about the five items that the Russians may have given to the Kashaya as payment for Metini. Do you think that it was a good trade? Tell why and why not.

VII. What Was Fort Ross Like?

First, lets talk a little about the name “Fort Ross.” The word ‘Ross’ does come from a Russian word, Rossiyia, which means ‘Russia.’ But, the Russians didn't usually call this Fort Ross, they called it “Settlement” or “Colony” Ross. There is a big difference between something called a “fort” and something called a “colony.” Imagine a “fort.” What do you think of? Most likely soldiers, guns, and battles. Now imagine a “colony” or a “settlement.” You probably think more of people going about their daily lives, keeping animals and growing food. The idea of a settlement is a much better one to keep in your mind as you think about the place that is called “Fort” Ross today. There was never a battle here!

An outpost such as this would always have an enclosure called a fort. And yes they had cannon! They had as many as 20 to 40 cannons. Most of the cannon which the Russian American Company acquired for use or trade at Fort Ross were British or American made iron pieces. Some cannons were also brought from Sitka, possibly being Russian bronze guns. Click here for primary source information on cannons and the fort.

Settlement Ross looked very different in the old days than how it looks today. When the Russians sold the fort to John Sutter in 1841, there were fifty-nine buildings. The fort compound would have been pretty crowded if all of those buildings were inside, and in fact, only nine of the buildings were inside the walls.

Almost all of the people who worked at the colony lived outside the fort. The Native Alaskan employees lived out in front of the fort on the bluff called the Alaskan Neighborhood. Their houses, at least in the beginning of the settlement, were probably similar to the houses that they had built and lived in Alaska. The houses looked low to the ground because they were built half above-ground and half under-ground. Alaskans built their houses this way because it is warmer and easier to heat.

Many Kashaya and Miwok women married Alaskan men who came here, and lived with them in their neighborhood in the front of the fort compound. Kashaya and Miwok women must have thought it was very strange to live on the windy, foggy bluff when the weather is so much nicer up in the hills above the fort. The California Indian men who came to Ross for work had a barracks building to sleep in near the Native Alaskan neighborhood. The Native Californian men who worked for the company mostly worked in the company’s grain and vegetable fields and helped tend to the animals raised here. They were paid mostly with flour, meat or clothing, either at the end of a day’s work or at the end of a month's work.

The Native Californian women who lived at the fort probably worked in the fields too, but the company also sometimes had them sew garments for the settlers. The Russians also trained the women to spin yarn from the wool of the sheep at the settlement and weave blankets from it. Women also worked gathering and preparing food for their families.

Outside the fort was an area called the sloboda where there were about twenty-eight houses. The houses were sturdy Russian-style buildings made of redwood. Many of the Russian employees lived there, sometimes with their Alaskan or Native Californian wives. Also surrounding the fort compound were the many buildings which were necessary for agriculture and industry: barns; workshops for working with wood and metal; a ship works; a tannery; two windmills for grinding grain; and the Russian style bath houses.

The buildings inside the fort compound itself were mostly living quarters for higher ranking employees and storage for important and valuable goods like food, furs and trade goods. There were five different managers of the Ross Colony. The first four lived in the two-story Kuskov house. The last manager, Alexander Rotchev, lived with his family in the building we call the Rotchev house, the only original structure left standing today. The Fort Ross Militia, who were in charge of keeping order at the settlement, had a barracks inside the fort walls. The Officials Quarters was used to give company officials or ships captains visiting the fort a place to stay. There were also two warehouses: one for food, one for trade goods. There was a kitchen building where food for the people who lived in the compound was cooked. The chapel was built around 1824 so that the Russian Orthodox inhabitants of the colony could have a place to pray and hold services, although there was never a full time priest here in residence. The two blockhouses and the tall fort walls were important in case there might have been an attack on the fort, although there never was an attack or a battle.

Section VII, Questions

1. What did the Russians call Fort Ross?

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2. Was there ever a battle?

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3. How many buildings were there in and around the fort compound?

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Think about it...

1. The buildings at Settlement Ross were mostly made of redwood. Make a list of the things besides wood might you need or want to build a building. Where would materials come from? What could you make from things found in California?

2. If you were one of the people who lived outside of the fort walls, do you think that you would rather have lived inside? Why and why not?

3. Use your nose for a minute. List some of the smells that may have been created from industry, agriculture and the people living here at this site.

VIII. Who lived at the settlement? What did People do? How were they paid?

Life at Fort Ross was very busy. It was a lot of work to keep everything running smoothly, keep all the people fed, and try to make a little money besides. Everybody had jobs and responsibilities. The Ross Manager took his orders from the Chief Manager in Alaska and it was his job to keep everything at the colony running smoothly. The kids living here, like you, took orders from their parents. They too worked every day and I am sure played some too! You will learn more about what they did as you read on.

RUSSIANS:

There were three different sorts of Russians workers who lived here. Prikashchiki (prik-asch-chi-ki) were managers and the men who acted as the bosses of the work crews either located at Fort Ross or the other outlying ranches. Next were skilled craftsmen--men who could do things like building houses, furniture or ships, making barrels, or blacksmithing. Fine ships were built by the Russians in the cove below. The first altar fixtures for Sonoma Mission were made by the craftsmen at Ross. Mariano Vallejo relied upon Russian blacksmiths in the early years of the Petaluma Adobe. Other tasks that the Company employees worked at were brickmaking, musket repair, logging, building houses, and coal mining.

Most of the Russians were promyshlenniki (pro-mysh-len-niki). A Promyshlennik might do general labor, like working in the sawmill or helping to take care of the animals and fields. Sometimes, he might also do some hunting for pelts or fur, or be a sailor on a company ship. One Russian hunter, who possibly ran away from the company, roamed much of Northern California, while another was reported to have worked the Snake River of Idaho for the Hudson Bay Company. The Promyshlenniki at Fort Ross were generally seen as unmotivated and poor agricultural workers. When they did have time they would tend their own plots instead of the company fields. Click here for the contract with the company, a primary document.

As far as we know, there were no Russian women who lived here until the arrival of the last manager, Alexander Rotchev brought his wife, Princess Elena and their children. They were also accompanied by their maid, possibly a Russian woman. It is very important to remember that Russians were usually the smallest group here at the settlement. Of 179 men accounted for at Ross in 1820, only 38 of them were Russian.

NATIVE ALASKANS:

There were many different Native Alaskan people who lived at the colony. The RAC officials often called all of the Alaskans “Aleuts.” Most of the Alaskan people who worked for the company at Fort Ross didn’t come from the Aleutian Islands at all. Most were Kodiak and Kenai people. Native Alaskans from the Aleutian Islands, Kodiak Island, and other coastal spots in Alaska were classified collectively as Aleuts in many documents. It is hard to say who was actually from Alaska. Today an Aleut is a Native Alaskan from the Aleutian Islands. The Alaskans worked as sea-mammal hunters, general laborers, and skilled craftsmen. There were also a few Native Alaskan women who were the wives of Alaskan and Russian company employees. Click here for further information on Native Alaskans.

CREOLES:

“Creole” is the word which the Company used to describe people whose mothers were Native Americans and whose fathers were Russian. There were many marriages between Russians and Alaskan, Kashaya, or coast Miwok women. Eventually there were more Creoles in the Russian Colonies than Russians. The Creoles were considered to be Russian subjects. The Russian American Company educated them, some served in important positions as officers on company ships and as middle-level managers, clerks, and skilled craftsmen. They were issued, at company expense, clothing worn by sailors, two pairs of boots, and one kamlei, at a cost of about 35 rubles. Master cooper smiths, tin smiths, and blacksmiths were generally Creoles and were well versed in their crafts. These skilled artisans were well paid and important to the needs of the company.Click here for Contract information, a primary document.