While it may surprise some people, the territory which is now called the state of Alaska, was actually colonised by the Russians. This nationality plays a crucial role in the history of Alaska, and were the first Europeans to settle the territory. Things did not always work out well for the local indigenous people who came into contact with the Russians though.
One of the Native groups who came into damaging contact with the Russians were the Aleuts, who suffered considerably from their lack of resistance to European diseases. Almost 80 per cent of the original inhabitants of the Aleutian Isles were killed by diseases, and there was also significant conflict with other Native groups too. Contact between the Russians and the Natives was not always disastrous though, and in some areas the two groups interacted reasonably well.
Kodiak Island was the site of the first permanent Russian settlement, with Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov landing in Three Saints Bay in 1794. This was in the territory of the Koniag people, who were killed in the hundreds by the invaders. Several Russian settlements were also established on the Alaskan mainland, with Cook Inlet being the site of many of them.
The main economic trigger for this expansion in this particular area was sea otters, which in this region possessed especially fine, high quality furs. A lack of ships and sailors, though, hampered Russian expansion. Despite this paucity, by 1794 the Russians had reached Yakutat Bay, and a year later the settlement of Slavorossiya was established.
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.
By 1804, it had been rebuilt, and would later be renamed as Sitka, which was an important settlement once the Americans had established hegemony in the state later on in the 19th century. There were never great numbers of Russian settlers in the area though, and only around 700 or so had established a presence there by the 1850s. The Russians settlers continued to face pressure from American traders and Tlingit aggression.
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.
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.
One of the Native groups who came into damaging contact with the Russians were the Aleuts, who suffered considerably from their lack of resistance to European diseases. Almost 80 per cent of the original inhabitants of the Aleutian Isles were killed by diseases, and there was also significant conflict with other Native groups too. Contact between the Russians and the Natives was not always disastrous though, and in some areas the two groups interacted reasonably well.
Kodiak Island was the site of the first permanent Russian settlement, with Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov landing in Three Saints Bay in 1794. This was in the territory of the Koniag people, who were killed in the hundreds by the invaders. Several Russian settlements were also established on the Alaskan mainland, with Cook Inlet being the site of many of them.
The main economic trigger for this expansion in this particular area was sea otters, which in this region possessed especially fine, high quality furs. A lack of ships and sailors, though, hampered Russian expansion. Despite this paucity, by 1794 the Russians had reached Yakutat Bay, and a year later the settlement of Slavorossiya was established.
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.
By 1804, it had been rebuilt, and would later be renamed as Sitka, which was an important settlement once the Americans had established hegemony in the state later on in the 19th century. There were never great numbers of Russian settlers in the area though, and only around 700 or so had established a presence there by the 1850s. The Russians settlers continued to face pressure from American traders and Tlingit aggression.
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.
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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