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.
Three Saints Bay, Kodiak Island, was the site of the first proper Russian colony in the region. An explorer called Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov was responsible for its establishment, in 1784, and by the time 1788 was over there were several other colonies around Cook Inlet. The local Koniag people though were killed in large numbers by the Russians.
One of the triggers for this Russian expansion in the area was the presence of sea otters with especially fine pelts. Despite this economic impetus, Russian progress in the area was still slow, largely due to a shortage of sailors; they also lacked the ships needed to make a proper attempt at colonisation. The Russians managed to reach Yakutat Bay by 1794, and by 1795 had constructed the settlement called Slavorossiya there.
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.
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.
Three Saints Bay, Kodiak Island, was the site of the first proper Russian colony in the region. An explorer called Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov was responsible for its establishment, in 1784, and by the time 1788 was over there were several other colonies around Cook Inlet. The local Koniag people though were killed in large numbers by the Russians.
One of the triggers for this Russian expansion in the area was the presence of sea otters with especially fine pelts. Despite this economic impetus, Russian progress in the area was still slow, largely due to a shortage of sailors; they also lacked the ships needed to make a proper attempt at colonisation. The Russians managed to reach Yakutat Bay by 1794, and by 1795 had constructed the settlement called Slavorossiya there.
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.
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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