| Fort Ross | |
 The Fort Ross chapel |
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| Building information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Fort Ross, unincorporated Sonoma County |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Completion date | 1812 |
| Style | Fort |
| Size | 8100 m2 |
Fort Ross is a former Russian settlement in what is now Sonoma County, California in the United States. It is a unique site that has recently been the subject of intensive archaeological investigation, and is designated as a National Historic Landmark. Most of the existing buildings on the site are reconstructions. The only original structure remaining is Rotchev House, the residence of the last manager. The exact origin of the toponym "Ross" is unknown but it is generally considered to be a poetical shortened version of "Rossiyanin", which is "Russian" in Russian language.
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History
Fort Ross was established by Ivan Kuskov of the Russian-American Company in 1812 as krepost' rus' ("Russian fortress")[1] upon the seasonal home of the native Kashaya Pomo, and was a thriving settlement from 1812 to 1841. The Company was chartered by the Russian government and controlled all Russian exploration, trade and settlement in the North Pacific, establishing permanent settlements in Alaska. Fort Ross was the southernmost settlement in the Russian colonization of the region, and was established as an agricultural base to supply the Alaskan settlements. Initially the Company carried on their fur trading business at Fort Ross, but the focus of this settlement was on agriculture and small industry.
It was the site of California's first windmills and shipbuilding. Russian scientists associated with the colony were among the first to record California's cultural and natural history.[2] The Russian managers were the first to introduce many European refinements such as glass windows into Colonial California. Together with the surrounding settlement, Fort Ross was home to Russians, Poles, North Pacific Natives and Aleut laborers in their employment, Kashaya, and Creoles. By 1841 the settlement's agricultural importance had decreased considerably, and the local population of fur-bearing marine mammals had been depleted, so the fur trade was no longer lucrative. Following the formal trade agreement between the Russian-American Company in Sitka and Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver, the settlement at Fort Ross was not needed to supply the Alaskan colonies with food. The Russian-American Company consequently abandoned the settlement, and it was sold to John Sutter, a Californian entrepreneur of German-Swiss-French origin.
Afterward, ownership of Fort Ross passed from Sutter through successive private hands and finally to George W. Call. In 1903 the stockade and about three acres of land were purchased from the Call family by the California Historical Landmarks Commission. Three years later it was turned over to the State of California for preservation and restoration as a state historic monument; since then, the state acquired more of the surrounding land for preservation purposes. California Department of Parks and Recreation as well as many volunteers put extensive efforts into restoration and reconstruction work in the Fort. State Route 1 once bisected Fort Ross. It entered from the northeast where the Kuskov House once stood, and exited through the main gate to the southwest. The road was eventually diverted, and the parts of the fort that had been demolished for the road were rebuilt. The old roadway can still be seen going from the main gate to the northwest; the rest (within the fort and extending northeast) has been removed.
The Fort Ross Chapel was knocked down in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake but much of the original structural woodwork remained and it was re-erected in 1916. It was destroyed by fire in October of 1970, while a few months later the roof of Rotchev House was damaged by arson. The current chapel was built during the intensive restoration activity that followed.
The Russian cemetery on an adjacent ridge has been cleared and the gravesites identified through non-destructive archaeological techniques, primarily soil resistivity. A large orchard, including several original trees planted by the Russians, is located inland on Ft. Ross Road.
Colonial administrators
Ivan Alexandrovich Kuskov, a skillful Russian-American Company administrator, served for 22 years in Alaska. He was the founder of Fort Ross and was its colonial administrator from 1812 to 1821. List of all administrators of the Fort Ross colony:
- Ivan A. Kuskov, 1812—1821
- Karl J von Schmidt, 1821—1824
- Paul I. Shelikhov, 1824—1830
- Peter S. Kostromitinov, 1830—1838
- Alexander G. Rotchev, 1838—1841
Other meanings
- Along with its status as a National Historic Landmark, the fort itself and the surrounding area (the immediate coastline and the redwood forest some distance inland) are all included in a California State Park under the name Fort Ross State Historic Park.
- Fort Ross also designates the small rural community that exists between the towns of Cazadero, Jenner, and Gualala, with the Ft. Ross Elementary School at its center.
Timeline
- 1784 — Russians settle at Kodiak Island, Alaska.
- 1799 — Russians establish a post at Sitka, Alaska.
- 1806–1811 — Nikolai Rezanov, representing the Russian-American Company, visits the Presidio of San Francisco and susequently recommends to the Company that a settlement in California be established to supply the Alaskan colonies with food. Ivan Kuskov explores the coast of Alta California.
- 1812 — Kuskov brought 25 Russians and 80 native Alaskans to the California coast and established Fort Ross.
- 1821 — Kuskov leaves Fort Ross and is replaced by Karl Schmidt.
- 1824 — Schmidt leaves Fort Ross and is replaced by Paul Shelikhov.
- 1830 — Shelikhov leaves Fort Ross and is replaced by Peter Kostromitinov.
- 1838 — Kostromitinov leaves Fort Ross and is replaced by Alexander Rotchev.
- 1841 — Rotchev sells Fort Ross to John Sutter.
- 1906 — The San Francisco earthquake nearly destroys Fort Ross.
- 1916 — Fort Ross is restored.
- 1970 — A fire at Fort Ross again nearly destroys the former settlement.
- 1971 — Fort Ross is once again restored.
Buildings
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Kuskov House, located in the mid-eastern area of the fort, was the residence of Ivan Kuskov and the other managers up to Alexander Rotchev. | ||
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Rotchev House, located in the northwest area of the fort, was where the last manager of Ross Alexander Rotchev lived with his family. Built circa 1836, it is the only remaining original building. | ||
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Officials' Quarters, located in the mid-western area of the fort near the gate. | ||
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The Chapel, located at the southeast corner of the fort, is incorporated into the stockade. This reconstruction sees occasional use by local Russian Orthodox groups. | ||
Notes
References
- Fort Ross Interpretive Association (2001). Fort Ross. Fort Ross Interpretive Association, Fort Ross, CA. ISBN 1-56540-355-x.
- Kalani, Lyn and Sarah Sweedler (2004). Fort Ross and the Sonoma Coast. Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC. ISBN 978-0-7385-2896-0.
- Nordlander, David J. (1994). For God & Tsar: A Brief History of Russian America 1741–1867. Alaska Natural History Association, Anchorage, AK. ISBN 0-930931-15-7.
