Alaska is a state located in the northwest of North America. It ranks first among other states in terms of area (1,523 thousand km²). It includes the peninsula of the same name, the continental part, the Aleutian Islands, part of the Pacific coast, and the islands of the Alexander Archipelago. The population is 690,955 people (2007), with the indigenous inhabitants being Indians, Aleuts, Eskimos and Russians. The state capital is Juneau. Major cities: Anchorage, Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka. Alaska was discovered by Russians in the 17th-18th centuries. In 1867, the Russian Empire sold the territory of Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million. However, state status (49th) was awarded only in 1959.

State attractions

The city of Anchorage is home to the Well Fargo State Heritage Museum and Library, with a huge collection of costumes, tools and weapons; an art gallery where, in addition to the usual exhibitions, a state-of-the-art exhibition of three-dimensional paintings is presented; the Elmendorf Wildlife Museum with a very interesting collection of local flora and fauna; Fort Richardson Wildlife Center; Alaska Native Heritage Center. Lake Hood is home to one of the largest water airfields on the planet, with several thousand seaplanes. The Aviation Museum (AANM) is located on the shore.

Magnificent Chugach Park with a huge number of hiking trails of any level. On the western side of the city lies Earthquake Park, famous for the consequences of a tragic earthquake, when 600 meters of land on which 75 houses were located “slipped” into the sea.

And of course, the main attraction of Alaska is nature. Sky-blue glaciers, mysterious fjords, forests, lakes, 300-meter waterfalls.

Geography and climate

The state's territory borders on the Russian Federation in the west and Canada in the east. Consists of several islands and mainland. It is washed by the Pacific and Arctic oceans. The eastern part of the plateau reaches 1200 meters in height, the western - 600 meters. In the north of the state are the Brooks Range and the Arctic Lowlands. The highest mountain in North America is McKinley (6194 m). The southern part of the state is covered with forests, and the northern part is covered with tundra. There are several active volcanoes. The Pacific coast has a mild, temperate climate. In other regions, the climate is subarctic continental, with cold winters.

Economy

Since the 1970s, much attention has been paid to oil production, pipelines have been laid (Kenai Peninsula, Prudhoe Bay). The Alyeska oil pipeline extends for 1250 km. Prudhoe Bay produces 8% of American oil. Overall, 20% of American oil is produced in Alaska. There are deposits of natural gas, copper, gold, platinum, tin, and asbestos here. There are also several military bases here. Due to harsh natural conditions, agriculture develops poorly and only on the southern side of the state. There are several farms here where vegetables are grown, cattle and deer are raised. Fishery is developed. Caught salmon, cod, pollock, crabs and other seafood are exported.

Population and religion

In 2005, the population increased by 5,906 people (0.9%) compared to 2004. The development of the oil industry attracted immigrants from other countries, but Alaska ranks last among US states in population density. About 75% of the population is white. By religious faith there are Catholics, Presbyterians, Baptists, Orthodox, Methodists. The highest ratio of Orthodox Christians (8-10%) in the country. The largest national groups among the population: Germans - 20%, Irish - 13% and English - 11%.

Did you know...

The Alaska flag was designed by a thirteen-year-old boy in 1927.

Capital of Alaska (state administrative center): Juneau
Official name: State of Alaska (AK)

Largest city: Anchorage

Other major cities:
Kodiak Fairbanks, College, Barrow, Homer, Seward, Cordova.
State nicknames: The Last Frontier
State motto: North to the Future
State formation date: 1959 (49th in order)


The name of the state of Alaska comes from the language of the indigenous inhabitants of the Aleutian Islands - the Aleuts. “Alaska” is a corruption of the Aleut word Alakshak, meaning “great land” (or “that which blocks the sea”, “peninsula”).

Alaska is the largest US state in terms of territory, on the northwestern edge of North America. Includes the peninsula of the same name, the Aleutian Islands, a narrow strip of the Pacific coast along with the islands of the Alexander Archipelago along western Canada and the continental part.

In the west, Alaska borders the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug of the Russian Federation along the Bering Strait, in the east the state borders Canada. The state has access to two oceans, the Arctic and Pacific oceans.

State Population

Although the state is one of the least populous in the country, many new residents moved here in the 1970s, attracted by jobs in the oil industry and transportation, and in the 1980s the population grew by more than 36 percent.

The largest ethnic (national) groups among the population of the state of Alaska

• Germans - about 20%
• Irish - about 13%
• English - about 11%
• Norwegians - about 4.5%
• French - about 3.5%
• Scots - about 3%

The state of Alaska has the highest percentage of indigenous ethnic groups in the population in the United States. Eskimos, Aleuts, Inuipaks and many other peoples live here.

State history

The oldest settlers of the lands of Alaska are the Eskimo and Aleut tribes. The first Europeans to visit Alaska were the Russian crew of the ship “St. Gabriel” on August 21, 1732, under the leadership of M. S. Gvozdev and navigator I. Fedorov. Between 1799 and 1867, Alaska was administered by the Russian-American Company.

The lands of Alaska became part of the United States in 1867, when the Russian Empire sold this coast to the Union of American States. On the American side, this purchase and sale agreement was signed by Secretary of the Senate William H. Seward. Under this treaty, the United States paid $7.2 million for Alaskan lands.

At the end of the 19th century, gold was discovered in Alaska, which gave rise to the famous “gold rush”, and the word Klondike became a household word. A gold rush swept the continent, and thousands of thousands of prospectors flocked to Alaska, hoping to find gold on these lands and get rich. After a few years, the excitement subsided, but the people who had settled on these lands by that time did not leave Alaska.

From 1940 to 1950, a huge influx of foreign immigrants to the lands of Alaska contributed to the industrial revival and development of these lands. On January 3, 1959, Alaska became part of the United States as an independent state - the 49th state.

State attractions

Signing of the agreement on the sale of Alaska.

Alaska is a land of primeval, wild beauty of Nature. Rugged by fiords, and soaring up to the clouds with the enchanting beauty of snowy mountains.

The highest point in North America is Mount McKinley in Alaska.

Redout Volcano is an active volcano in Alaska.

Eruption


Alaska is a kingdom of natural contrasts: piercing winds and scorching sun, rain and snow, heat and cold. Alaska is a land that is still subject to global tectonic changes in the landscape.


Northern lights over the town of Circle (Alaska)


Denali National Park


The largest city is Anchorage<


Juneau, the current capital of Alaska, is rightfully recognized as the most original of all 50 state capitals.


St. Nicholas Church in Juneau, the capital of Alaska

Skagway is the capital of the Gold Rush. Skagway is a quiet, well-kept town


Sitka is the former capital of “Russian Alaska.”


USA, Alaska, Aurora

■ The Alaska flag was created by a 13-year-old boy.
■ The first settlement in Alaska was established on Kodiak Island in 1784 by Russian fur traders and whalers.
■ Alaska was sold to the United States in 1867 for just over $100 million in today's dollars. 30 years after the sale, gold deposits were discovered there and the famous “gold rush” began, and in the 20th century large oil and gas deposits were discovered with total reserves worth 100-180 billion dollars.
■ At the same time, New York State was purchasing a courthouse that was more expensive than Alaska. And at the current exchange rate, Alaska was sold for about $4 per hectare with all buildings and subsoil.

Funny Alaska Laws

■ It is illegal to give alcoholic beverages to elk in Fairbanks.
■ While it is legal to shoot bears, it is illegal to wake them for the purpose of photographing them.
■ You cannot view moose from an airplane.
■ It is a crime if you push a live moose out of an airplane.
And for lovers of the mysteries of history, I am posting this article.

E.P.TOLMACHEV

The Alaska we lost
“The editors have received several letters from their readers in America. Here they are:

Hello!
Many Americans ask me about the sale of Alaska, and when I say that Alaska was loaned for 100 years and was not returned to Russia, they are all indignant. When I was still studying at the pedagogical institute, a history teacher told us that there are documents confirming the fact of the lease of Alaska. I myself have not seen any documents. I looked around here in America, and all I could find was the announcement of the American president about the purchase of Alaska. Where is the truth? Did Tsar Alexander sell or lease Alaska?
Maybe one of your authors will find time to answer this question? Believe me, I’ve been trying to find the answer myself for days, but I can’t find any Russian sources.
Thank you in advance, Oksana Shiel, USA.

...I asked a question in an Internet conference attended by approximately 1.5 thousand or so people, in one way or another connected with partners from the former Soviet Union... Only 25 considered it possible to answer this question and one third of them seriously believe that Alaska was leased.
From a letter to the editor by Richard L. Williams, USA.
We turned to Doctor of Historical Sciences E.P. Tolmachev with a request to tell the story of the sale of Alaska and received his kind consent.

Editorial

It has been noted more than once that the discovery and development of America was not a one-time event, but represented a long-term and complex process.
As Academician N.N. Bolkhovitinov rightly noted, the American continent was discovered and explored by representatives of different countries and peoples, just as outer space is now being studied through international efforts. It is no coincidence that New England, New Spain, New France once existed on the territory of North America... Our country has the honor of discovering this continent from the East, from Asia.
As a result of numerous voyages of Russian sailors, explorers, and entrepreneurs, in the 18th century, Asia “came together” with America and constant and strong contacts were established between the two continents. Russia has become not only a European and Asian power, but, to some extent, also an American power. The term “Russian America” appeared and subsequently won citizenship rights, which united Alaska, part of Northern California, and the Aleutian Islands.

G.I. Shelikhov

The first Russian settlement in North America was founded by merchant-entrepreneur G.I. Shelikhov in 1784 on Kodiak Island. The administrative center of Russian settlements in America became Novo-Arkhangelsk, founded in 1799, receiving this name in 1804, and later renamed Sitka.
On July 8, 1799, by decree of Paul I, “under the highest patronage,” a trade association, the Russian-American Company (RAC), was created for the development of Russian lands in America and on the adjacent islands. One of its founders and first directors was N.P. Rezanov. With the support of the Russian government, the company founded many settlements and took an active part in the development of Sakhalin and the Amur region. She organized 25 expeditions (15 around the world; the most famous and largest - I.F. Kruzenshtern and Yu.F. Lisyansky), and carried out significant research work in Alaska. The company's activities were generally dual in nature. Predatory fur trade and, at the same time, promoting the introduction of arable farming, cattle breeding and gardening in a number of areas.
From the beginning of the 19th century. The activities of the Russian-American Company were complicated by the struggle with British and American entrepreneurs who were arming the natives to fight against the Russians and seeking to eliminate Russian settlements in America.
The Russian-American Convention, adopted on April 5, 1824 in St. Petersburg, established the boundaries of Russian settlements and industries. The Russians pledged not to settle to the South, and the Americans - to the North of parallel 54 about 40′ N. In an effort to maintain friendly relations with the United States, St. Petersburg made concessions: fishing and sailing along the American coast in the Pacific Ocean were declared open to ships of both countries for 10 years.
N.P.Reza

The convention caused obvious dissatisfaction among the management of the Russian-American Company. The Americans greeted the conclusion of the Convention with satisfaction. However, the ruling circles of America and the developing bourgeoisie did not stop their expansionist policies in the North Pacific, which was ultimately one of the reasons for Russia’s sale of Alaska in 1867.
A similar convention was signed with England on February 28, 1825: it defined the southern borders of Russian possessions on the same parallel.
It is believed that both conventions meant unilateral concessions on the part of Russia and the beginning of its retreat from North America.
Exacerbation of Russian-English relations

During the Crimean War, the US government, taking advantage of the worsening Russian-British relations in the Middle East, offered Russia to buy Alaska from it. Petersburg rejected this proposal. As the modern historian V.N. Ponomarev notes, the alarm of the RAC administration and the Americans, inspired by different motives, was a prerequisite for the emergence of a fictitious agreement on the sale of Russian America. The text of the document stated that it was signed on May 19, 1854 on behalf of the RAC by P.S. Kostromitinov, who, while holding the post of Russian vice-consul in San Francisco, was also an agent of this company; and on the other side, the document was signed by a representative of the Californian American-Russian Trading Company (ARTK) A. McPherson. In accordance with the agreement, the first party (i.e., RAC) ceded to the second (ATRC) all its property, fields and privileges in North America for a period of three years. The second party, in turn, was obliged to pay the first party 7 million 600 thousand dollars. It is interesting that this amount almost coincides with the one (7 million 200 thousand) for which Russian America was sold in 1867.
The purpose of the fictitious treaty was to force the British to abandon their attack on the territory of Russian possessions. In the event of an attack, a new conflict would inevitably arise between England and the United States, which, given the already tense Anglo-American relations, was undesirable for Albion. According to the authors, and primarily Kostromitinov, it should have come into force only in case of emergency.
The idea of ​​a possible sale of Russian America to the United States after the end of the Crimean War was further developed.

Russian Envoy to Washington E.A. Stekl
The main supporter of the sale of Alaska was the head of the Naval Ministry, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, who sent a special letter on this matter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs A.M. Gorchakov in the spring of 1857. The Grand Duke's proposal was later supported by Admiral E.V. Putyatin, Captain 1st Rank I.A. Shestakov and the Russian envoy in Washington E.A. Stekl.
Although the US government considered this purchase to be very profitable, it offered only $5 million for Russian possessions, which, according to A.M. Gorchakov, did not reflect “the true value of our colonies.”
The American Civil War, which began in April 1861, delayed the development of negotiations on this issue. The sympathies of the Russian government and public were on the side of the North, which fought for the abolition of slavery.
In 1862, the French government invited England and Russia to implement diplomatic intervention in the struggle between North and South on the side of the southerners. Alexander II refused this, which prevented the European powers from entering the civil war. The Emperor remembered well how during the Crimean War the United States openly declared its friendly relations with Russia. At the same time, they revived trade, supplying weapons and equipment to the warring army. In addition, the United States reported on the progress of enemy ships and was even ready to send volunteers.
In an atmosphere of political excitement raised in 1863 by France, England and Austria around the Polish issue, the Russian government, in agreement with the US government, took retaliatory steps.
Two squadrons were sent to US territorial waters: the squadron of Rear Admiral S.S. Lesovsky (3 frigates, 2 corvettes and 3 clippers) arrived in New York in July 1863, and the squadron of Rear Admiral A.A. Popov ( 5 corvettes and 4 clippers) in October 1863 - in San Francisco.
Military operations and maneuvers
In the event of a war with Great Britain and France, the Russian fleet was supposed to protect the coast of the United States from possible enemy attacks and strike at its distant communications and colonies. The unexpected appearance of Russian ships off the coast of the United States, enthusiastically greeted by the Americans, had a great political resonance. There was no end to receptions, balls and parades in honor of the Russian Navy. In mid-September 1863, the “first lady” of America, Mary Todd-Lincoln, arrived in New York to visit the admiral’s flagship. She was solemnly greeted by Russian sailors and a military band, who performed the US anthem and “God Save the Tsar.” All American newspapers wrote about this celebration. Russian ships provided moral support to the federal government, promoted Russian-American rapprochement and forced Great Britain and France to change their position. The Russian squadrons, united in April 1864 in New York, were recalled when northern troops broke the resistance of the Confederacy of the South, and in July 1864 they left the shores of North America.
It should be noted that Russians, Ukrainians and Poles who emigrated from Russia to the USA fought in the army of the North. Former Colonel of the General Staff I.V. Turchaninov, who moved to America after the Crimean War, commanded a regiment of Illinois volunteers. On June 17, 1862, by decision of President Lincoln, he was awarded the rank of brigadier general.
US Unity
The failure of Anglo-French intervention plans and Russia's friendly position contributed to the victory of the North over the South and the restoration of US unity.
During the war, Secretary of State W. Seward reported to St. Petersburg that “the President expressed satisfaction with the reasonable, fair and friendly course” pursued by the Russian government. And his Russian counterpart, Gorchakov, at the end of the Civil War, especially noted the importance of restoring “the ancient union that constituted the strength and prosperity of the American Republic.”
The revival of the idea of ​​selling Russian possessions in North America could not but be facilitated by the end of the American Civil War and the friendly visit of the American squadron led by Assistant Secretary of the Navy G.V. Fox to Russia in the summer of 1866.

Start of a new relationship
The immediate reason for the resumption of discussions about the fate of Russian America was the arrival in St. Petersburg of the Russian envoy in Washington, E. A. Stekl. Having left the United States in October 1866, he remained in the capital until the beginning of the next year, 1867, where he had meetings with such key figures as Grand Duke Konstantin, Foreign Minister Gorchakov and Finance Minister Reutern.
On December 16, 1866, a “special meeting” was held in the front office of the Russian Foreign Ministry on Palace Square with the personal participation of Alexander II. The meeting was also attended by V.K. Konstantin, Gorchakov, Reitern, Krabbe (manager of the Naval Ministry) and Stekl. All participants spoke in favor of the sale of Russian colonies in North America to the United States, and interested departments were instructed to prepare their considerations for the envoy in Washington.
Several reasons contributed to the Russian government's decision. Russia hoped that by selling Alaska it would support a “close alliance” with the United States and delay anything “that could give rise to disagreement between the two great powers.” This deal created a counterweight to England in the United States in the Pacific. The purchase of Alaska gave the United States the opportunity to weaken the position of the Canadian Hudson's Bay Company and squeeze British Columbia between its possessions.
K. Marx wrote on March 27, 1867 to F. Engels that by selling Alaska the Russians would “make a mess” for the British in the USA. US relations with England were strained at that time due to the support that London provided to the southerners during the Civil War.
Taking over Alaska?
Petersburg feared the capture of Alaska by England and, moreover, was unable to protect Russian possessions in America from North American fur traders and smugglers. In addition, the sale of Alaska was conditioned by the unsatisfactory state of affairs in the RAC, the existence of which had to be supported by “artificial measures and monetary donations from the treasury.” The main attention, it was believed, should be focused on “the successful development of the Amur region, where Russia’s future lies in the Far East.”
Returning to Washington in March 1867, Steckl reminded Secretary of State Seward "of proposals which have been made in the past for the sale of our colonies" and stated that the Russian government was now "disposed to enter into negotiations."
The agreement on the sale of Alaska (Russian America) by Russia to the United States was signed on March 18, 1867 in Washington by Secretary of State Seward and Russian envoy Steckl. According to the agreement, the United States acquired Alaska with the nearby Aleutian Islands from Russia for a small amount - 7 million 200 thousand dollars (11 million rubles), receiving a territory of 1519 thousand square meters. km, on the development of which the Russian people spent a lot of effort and money over the course of 126 years. In 1959, Alaska became the 49th US state.
Twenty-five thousand dollars were granted by the king to the envoy. More than one hundred thousand dollars were written off by St. Petersburg under a secret expense item “for matters known to the emperor.” (Glass had to bribe editors for newspaper endorsements and politicians for speeches in Congress.)
On May 3, 1867, the treaty was ratified by Alexander II. On June 8 of the same year, the instruments of ratification were exchanged in Washington.
Russian society did not immediately understand the essence of the deal. The Golos newspaper, which had a reputation for officialdom, was indignant: “Should foreigners really take advantage of the works of Shelikhov, Baranov, Khlebnikov and other selfless people for Russia and reap the fruits for their own benefit?” Some US politicians also reacted ambiguously to the purchase of Russian America. Most newspapers launched a “mad campaign” against the treaty, considering the areas of Alaska wild and unfit for anything, a zoo for polar bears.”
Alaska transfer
The official ceremony of transferring Alaska to the United States took place in Novo-Arkhangelsk on October 6, 1867. An American military detachment (250 people) led by General L. Russo and Russian soldiers lined up on the square in front of the residence of the Chief Ruler of Russian America, Prince D.P. Maksutov ( 100 people) under the command of captain A.I. Peschurov. After the announcement of the US treaty with Russia and a 42-shot salute, the Russian flag was lowered and the American Stars and Stripes was raised.
The acquisition of Russian America strengthened the US position in the northeastern Pacific, greatly facilitating its further expansion in this region.
But the saddest thing in this whole story is that the money for Alaska never made it to Russia. A significant portion of the $7.2 million was paid in gold, which was loaded onto the ship Orkney, which set course for St. Petersburg. In the Baltic Sea, a group of conspirators tried to seize gold, but failed. And for some reason the ship sank along with its precious cargo... "

Alaska(English Alaska [əˈlæskə], Eskim Alaskaq, Aqłuq) is the northernmost and largest state in terms of territory; located in the northwest. In the Bering Strait it has a maritime border with.

Includes the territory of North America west of the 141st meridian of western longitude, including the peninsula of the same name with adjacent islands, the Aleutian Islands and the territory of North America proper north of the peninsula, as well as a narrow strip of the Pacific coast along with the islands of the Alexander Archipelago along the western border.

The territory area is 1,717,854 km², of which 236,507 km² is on the water surface. Population - 736,732 people. (2014). The state capital is the city.

Etymology

The name comes from Aleutian Alaska- “whale place”, “whale abundance”. Initially, only the southwestern part of the territory of the current state (Gulf of Alaska, Alaska Peninsula) was called Alaska. The name has been fixed since the 18th century.

Symbolism

The Alaska flag was designed by thirteen-year-old Benny Benson from Chignik. The blue background of the flag depicts eight five-pointed stars: seven of them symbolize the constellation Ursa Major, and the eighth symbolizes the North Star.

Geography

Typical Alaskan landscape (Wonder Lake, Denali National Park)

The state is located in the extreme north-west of the continent, separated from the Chukotka Peninsula () by the Bering Strait, in the east it borders, in the west on a small section of the Bering Strait - with Russia. It consists of the mainland and a large number of islands: the Alexander Archipelago, the Aleutian Islands, the Pribilof Islands, Kodiak Island, St. Lawrence Island. It is washed by the Arctic and Pacific oceans. On the Pacific coast - the Alaska Range; the inner part is a plateau with a height of 1200 m in the east and up to 600 m in the west; goes into lowland. To the north is the Brooks Range, beyond which lies the Arctic Lowland.

Mount Denali (6190 m, formerly - McKinley) - the highest in . Denali is the core of the famous Denali National Park. In total, there are 61 peaks in Alaska that are over 3,000 meters high.

There are active volcanoes.

In 1912, a volcanic eruption created the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and the new Novarupta volcano. The northern part of the state is covered by tundra. To the south are forests. The state includes Kruzenshtern Island (Little Diomede) in the Bering Strait, located 4 km from Ratmanov Island, which belongs to Russia.

On the Pacific coast the climate is temperate, maritime, relatively mild; in other areas - arctic and subarctic continental, with harsh winters.

Largest cities

Administrative division

Unlike most other US states, where the main administrative unit of local government is the county, the name of the administrative units in Alaska is borough. Even more important is another difference - the 15 boroughs and the municipality of Anchorage cover only part of the territory of Alaska. The remaining territory does not have enough population (at least interested) to form local self-government and forms the so-called unorganized borough, which for the purposes of the population census and for ease of administration was divided into so-called population census zones. There are 11 such zones in Alaska.

Administrative divisions of Alaska

List of all administrative divisions of Alaska(In alphabet order):

• Bristol Bay
• Eastern Aleutian Islands
• Denali
• Kodiak Island
• Kenai
• Ketchikan Gateway
• Lake and Peninsula
• Matanuska-Susitna
• North Slope
• Northwest Arctic
• Fairbanks North Star
• Haynes
• Yakutat
• Unorganized boroughs:
  • Bethel
  • Valdez Cordoba
  • Dillingham
  • Western Aleutian Islands
  • Petersburg
  • Prince of Wales - Hyder
  • Wade-Hampton
  • Huna - Angoon
  • Southeast-Fairbanks
  • Yukon-Koyukuk
• Independent cities:

Story

The sloop "Neva" in St. Paul's Harbor on Kodiak Island

Groups of Siberian tribes crossed the isthmus (now the Bering Strait) 16-10 thousand years ago. Eskimos began to settle on the Arctic coast, and Aleuts settled the Aleutian archipelago.

Opening

The first Europeans to visit Alaska on August 21, 1732 were members of the St. Gabriel" under the command of surveyor M. S. Gvozdev and navigator I. Fedorov during the expedition of A. F. Shestakov and D. I. Pavlutsky of 1729-1735. In addition, there is fragmentary information about Russian people visiting America in the 17th century.

Sale

From July 9, 1799 to October 18, 1867, Alaska and its adjacent islands were under the control of the Russian-American Company. The fighting in the Far East during the Crimean War showed the absolute insecurity of the eastern lands of the Russian Empire and especially Alaska. In order not to waste the territory, which could not be protected and developed in the foreseeable future, a decision was made to sell it.

Gold prospectors and miners climb the trail over Chilkoot Pass during the Klondike Gold Rush

On December 16, 1866, a special meeting was held, which was attended by Alexander II, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, the ministers of finance and the naval ministry, as well as the Russian envoy Baron Eduard Andreevich Stekl. All participants approved the idea of ​​sale. At the proposal of the Ministry of Finance, a threshold amount was determined - at least 5 million dollars in gold. On December 22, 1866, Alexander II approved the border of the territory. In March 1867, Steckle arrived in Washington and formally approached Secretary of State William Seward.

The signing of the agreement for the sale of Alaska took place on March 30, 1867 in Washington. The territory of 1 million 519 thousand km² was sold for $7.2 million in gold, that is, $4.74 per km² (the much more fertile and sunnier French Louisiana, purchased from France in 1803, cost the US budget slightly more - approximately 7 dollars per km²). Alaska was finally transferred to the United States on October 18 of the same year, when Russian commissioners led by Admiral Alexei Peschurov arrived at the fort. The Russian flag was ceremoniously lowered over the fort and the American flag was raised. On the American side, this ceremony was attended by 250 soldiers in full dress uniform under the command of General Lavell Rousseau, who provided Secretary of State William Seward with a detailed report of the event. Since 1917, October 18 has been celebrated as Alaska Day.

Golden fever

1897 map of Alaska and British Columbia showing gold deposits

Around this time, gold was discovered in Alaska. The region developed slowly until the start of the Klondike Gold Rush in 1896. During the years of the gold rush in Alaska, about one thousand tons of gold were mined, which in April 2005 prices corresponded to 13-14 billion dollars.

New story

Since 1867, Alaska was under the jurisdiction of the US War Department and was called the “District of Alaska”, in the years 1884-1912 “district”, then “territory” (1912-1959), from January 3, 1959 - a US state.

Recent history

Alaska was declared a state in 1959. Since 1968, various mineral resources have been exploited there, especially in the Prudhoe Bay area, southeast of Cape Barrow.

In 1977, the Prudhoe Bay oil pipeline was built to the port of Valdez.

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill caused serious environmental pollution.

Economy

In the north, crude oil production (in the area of ​​Prudhoe Bay and the Kenai Peninsula; the Alyeska oil pipeline 1250 km long to the port of Valdez), natural gas, coal, copper, iron, gold, zinc; fishing; rearing reindeer; logging and hunting; air transport; military air bases. Tourism.

Oil production has played a huge role since the 1970s. after the discovery of fields and the construction of the Trans-Alaska pipeline. The Alaskan oil field has been compared in importance to oil fields in Western Siberia and the Arabian Peninsula.

In March 2017, the Spanish Oil Company announced its discovery: 1.2 billion barrels of oil in Alaska. The firm says it is the largest land discovery in the United States in 30 years. Oil production work in this region is planned for 2021. According to expert estimates, production volumes will be up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day.

As a result of a referendum among state residents, a special oil fund was created in 1976, into which 25% of the funds received by the Alaska government from oil companies are allocated and from which all permanent residents (except prisoners) receive an annual subsidy (maximum in 2008 - $3269 , in 2010 - $1281).

Population

Anchorage

Orthodox Church in Unalaska

Although the state is one of the least populous in the country, many new residents moved here in the 1970s, attracted by jobs in the oil industry and transportation, and in the 1980s the population grew by more than 36 percent.

Population of Alaska in recent decades:

• 1990 - 560,718 inhabitants;
• 2004 - 648,818 inhabitants;
• 2005 - 663,661 inhabitants;
• 2006 - 677,456 inhabitants;
• 2007 - 690,955 inhabitants.

In 2005, Alaska's population increased by 5,906 people, or 0.9%, over the previous year. Compared to 2000, the population increased by 36,730 people (5.9%). This figure includes a natural population increase of 36,590 people (53,132 births minus 16,542 deaths) since the last census, as well as an increase due to migration of 1,181 people. Immigration from outside the United States increased Alaska's population by 5,800 people, while internal migration decreased it by 4,619 people. Alaska has the lowest population density of any US state.

About 75 percent of the population is white and US-born. There are about 88 thousand indigenous people in the state - Indians (Athabascans, Haidas, Tlingits, Tsimshians), Eskimos and Aleuts. A small number of Russian descendants also live in the state. Major religious groups include Catholics, Orthodox, Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists. The share of Orthodox Christians, estimated at 8-10%, is the highest in the country.

Over the past 20 years, residents of the state have traditionally voted Republican. The state's former Republican governor, Sarah Palin, was John McCain's 2008 vice presidential candidate. The current governor of Alaska is Mike Dunleavy.

Languages

According to a 2011 study, 83.4% of people over the age of five speak only English at home. English is spoken “very well” by 69.2%, “well” by 20.9%, “not very well” by 8.6%, “not at all” by 1.3%.

Alaska Language Center University of Alaska Fairbanks states that there are at least 20 Alaskan native languages ​​and their dialects. Most languages ​​belong to the Eskimo-Aleut and Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit macrofamilies, but there are also isolated ones (Haida and Tsimshian language).

In some places, dialects of the Russian language have been preserved: the Ninilchik dialect of the Russian language in Ninilchik (Kenai Borough), as well as a dialect on Kodiak Island, and, presumably, in the village of Russian Mission (Russian Mission).

In October 2014, the Governor of Alaska signed HB 216, declaring 20 indigenous languages ​​as official state languages. Languages ​​that have been included in the official list: Inupiaq, Siberian Yup'ik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Aleut, Dena'ina (Tana'ina), Deg-Khitan, Holykachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich'in, Lower Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Khan , Atna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian languages.

Transport

Alaskan Highway

Since Alaska is located in the far north, it has limited transport links with the outside world. Main modes of transportation in Alaska:

• Alaska Highway - connects Dawson Creek in the Canadian province and Delta Junction in Alaska. It has been operating since 1942, length - 2232 kilometers. An unofficial part of the Pan-American Highway.
• Alaska Railroad - connects the cities of Seward and. It has been operating since 1909 (the official opening date is 1914), length is 760 kilometers. One of the few railways in the world that passes through national parks (Denali), and one of the few where you can stop some trains and hop on them by waving a white handkerchief, that is, hitchhiking.
• A system of ferries that connect coastal cities with the road network.
• Due to the inaccessibility of most places in the state, air traffic is very developed in Alaska: in fact, every settlement in which at least two to three dozen residents live has its own airfield - see List of airports in the state of Alaska. Airlines provide connections between communities and major cities (such as Anchorage) and further into the continental United States. There are also several charter flights from the city of Nome to the Russian city in the summer; their number is limited by two reasons: the need to obtain a Russian visa and a pass to the territory of Chukotka, which is a border region.

Neighboring territories

Notes

1. The population development in Alaska(English) . City Population. Retrieved July 24, 2015. Archived July 24, 2015.
2. Alaska // World Atlas / comp. and preparation to ed. PKO "Cartography" in 2009; Ch. ed. G. V. Pozdnyak. - M.: PKO "Cartography": Onyx, 2010. - P. 167. - ISBN 978-5-85120-295-7 (Cartography). - ISBN 978-5-488-02609-4 (Onyx).
3. Alaska // Dictionary of geographical names of foreign countries / resp. ed. A. M. Komkov. - 3rd ed., revised. and additional - M.: Nedra, 1986. - P. 17.
4. Index of geographical names // World Atlas / comp. and preparation to ed. PKO "Cartography" in 2009; Ch. ed. G. V. Pozdnyak. - M.: PKO "Cartography": Onyx, 2010. - P. 204. - ISBN 978-5-85120-295-7 (Cartography). - ISBN 978-5-488-02609-4 (Onyx).
5. Russian industrialists in Alaska at the end of the 18th century. Beginning of activity of A. A. Baranov
6. Aronov V.N. Patriarch of Kamchatka shipping. // “Questions of the history of the fishing industry of Kamchatka”: Historical and local history collection. - Vol. 3. - 2000.
   Vakhrin S. Conquerors of the Great Ocean. - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky: Kamshat, 1993. - ISBN 5-8440-0001-4
7. Sverdlov L. M. Russian settlement in Alaska in the 17th century? // “Nature”, 1992. No. 4. - pp. 67-69.
8. Valery Nechiporenko. Big Alaska Gold. // Columbus Magazine No. 7, 2005
9. Matt Egan. Massive oil discovery in Alaska is the biggest onshore find in 30 years (English), CNN (10 March 2017).
10. The largest oil field in the last 30 years was discovered in Alaska, USA.one.
11. Is California on the brink of bankruptcy? (undefined) . www.forbes.ru. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
12. Camille Ryan. Language use in the United States, 2011 (PDF) (English)
13. Languages ​​// University of Alaska Fairbanks (English)
14. Kibrik A. A. Some phonetic and grammatical features of the Russian dialect of the village of Ninilchik// Language. Africa. Fulbe / Comp. Vydrin V.F., Kibrik A.A.. - St. Petersburg-M.: European House, 1998. - P. 50. - ISBN 5-8015-0019-7.
15. Bill History/Action for 28th Legislature HB 216 (undefined) . The Alaska State Legislature.
16. "Hurricane" Archived October 21, 2014. (English) on the official website of AZD

Literature

• Okladnikov A. P., Vasilievsky R. S. In Alaska and the Aleutian Islands / Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Institute of History, Philology and Philosophy. -: Science, Siberian department, 1976. - 168 p. - (Popular science series). - 71,650 copies.(region)
• Zorin A.V. Indian War in Russian America: Russian-Tlingit military confrontation / Kursk State University. - Kursk: KSU Publishing House, 2002. - 424 p.
• Alaska // Great Russian Encyclopedia: [in 35 volumes] / ch. ed. Yu. S. Osipov. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 2004-2017.

Links

• alaska.gov (English) - official website of the state of Alaska

Includes the territory of North America west of the 141st meridian of western longitude, including the peninsula of the same name with adjacent islands, the Aleutian Islands and the territory of North America proper north of the peninsula, as well as a narrow strip of the Pacific coast along with the islands of the Alexander Archipelago along the western border of Canada.

The territory area is 1,717,854 km², of which 236,507 km² is on the water surface. Population - 736,732 people. (2014). The state capital is the city of Juneau.

Etymology

Symbolism

Geography

Opening

The first Europeans to visit Alaska on August 21, 1732 were members of the St. Gabriel" under the command of surveyor M. S. Gvozdev and navigator I. Fedorov during the expedition of A. F. Shestakov and D. I. Pavlutsky of 1729-1735. In addition, there is fragmentary information about Russian people visiting America in the 17th century.

Sale

From July 9, 1799 to October 18, 1867, Alaska and its surrounding islands were under the administration of the Russian-American Company. The fighting in the Far East during the Crimean War showed the absolute insecurity of the eastern lands of the Russian Empire and especially Alaska. In order not to lose the territory in vain, which could not be protected and developed in the foreseeable future, a decision was made to sell it.

The signing of the agreement for the sale of Alaska took place on March 30, 1867 in Washington. A territory with an area of ​​1 million 519 thousand km² was sold for 7.2 million dollars in gold, that is, $4.74 per km² (the much more fertile and sunnier French Louisiana, purchased from France in 1803, cost the US budget slightly more - approximately 7 dollars per km²). Alaska was finally transferred to the United States on October 18 of the same year, when Russian commissioners led by Admiral Alexei Peschurov arrived at Fort Sitka. The Russian flag was ceremonially lowered over the fort and the American flag was raised. On the American side, this ceremony was attended by 250 soldiers in full dress uniform under the command of General Lavella Russo, who provided Secretary of State William Seward with a detailed report of this event. Since 1917, October 18 has been celebrated as Alaska Day.

Golden fever

New story

Since 1867, Alaska was under the jurisdiction of the US War Department and was called the “District of Alaska”, in the years 1884-1912 “district”, then “territory” (1912-1959), from January 3, 1959 - a US state.

Recent history

Alaska was declared a state in 1959. Since 1968, various mineral resources have been exploited there, particularly in the Prudhoe Bay area, southeast of Cape Barrow.

In 1977, the Prudhoe Bay oil pipeline was built to the port of Valdez.

In March 2017, the Spanish Oil Company announced its discovery: 1.2 billion barrels of oil in Alaska. The firm says it is the largest land discovery in the United States in 30 years. Oil production work in this region is planned for 2021. According to expert estimates, production volumes will amount to up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day.

As a result of a referendum among state residents, a special oil fund was created in 1976, into which 25% of the funds received by the Alaska government from oil companies are allocated and from which all permanent residents (except prisoners) receive an annual subsidy (maximum in 2008 - $3269 , in 2010 - $1281).

Population

Although the state is one of the least populous in the country, many new residents moved here in the 1970s, attracted by jobs in the oil industry and transportation, and in the 1980s the population grew by more than 36 percent.

Population of Alaska in recent decades:

• 1990 - 560,718 inhabitants;
• 2004 - 648,818 inhabitants;
• 2005 - 663,661 inhabitants;
• 2006 - 677,456 inhabitants;
• 2007 - 690,955 inhabitants.

In 2005, Alaska's population increased by 5,906 people, or 0.9%, over the previous year. Compared to 2000, the population increased by 36,730 people (5.9%). This figure includes a natural population increase of 36,590 people (53,132 births minus 16,542 deaths) since the last census, as well as an increase due to migration of 1,181 people. Immigration from outside the United States increased Alaska's population by 5,800 people, while domestic migration decreased it by 4,619 people. Alaska has the lowest population density of any US state.

About 75 percent of the population is white and US-born. There are about 88 thousand indigenous people in the state - Indians (Athabascans, Haidas, Tlingits, Tsimshians), Eskimos and Aleuts. A small number of Russian descendants also live in the state. Major religious groups include Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists. The share of Orthodox Christians, which according to various estimates is 8-10%, is the highest in the country.

Over the past 20 years, residents of the state have traditionally voted Republican. The state's former Republican governor, Sarah Palin, was John McCain's 2008 vice presidential candidate. The current governor of Alaska is Mike Dunleavy.

Languages

According to a 2011 study, 83.4% of people over the age of five speak only English at home. English is spoken “very well” by 69.2%, “good” by 20.9%, “not very well” by 8.6%, “not at all” by 1.3%.

Alaska Language Center University of Alaska Fairbanks states that there are at least 20 Alaskan native languages ​​and their dialects. Most languages ​​belong to the Eskimo-Aleut and Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit macrofamilies, but there are also isolated ones (Haida and Tsimshian language).

In some places, dialects of the Russian language have been preserved: the Ninilchik dialect of the Russian language in Ninilchik (Kenai Borough), as well as a dialect on Kodiak Island, and, presumably, in the village of Russian Mission (Russian Mission).

In October 2014, the Governor of Alaska signed HB 216, declaring 20 indigenous languages ​​as official state languages. Languages ​​that were included in the list of official ones.

“Ekaterina, you were wrong!” - the chorus of a rollicking song that sounded from every iron in the 90s, and calls for the United States to “give back” the little land of Alaska - that’s probably all that the average Russian knows today about the presence of our country on the North American continent. At the same time, this story directly concerns no one else but the people of Irkutsk - after all, it was from the capital of the Angara region that all management of this gigantic territory took place for more than 80 years. More than one and a half million square kilometers were occupied by the lands of Russian Alaska in the middle of the 19th century. And it all started with three modest ships moored to one of the islands. Then there was a long path of exploration and conquest: a bloody war with the local population, successful trade and extraction of valuable furs, diplomatic intrigues and romantic ballads. And an integral part of all this was the activity of the Russian-American Company for many years, under the leadership first of the Irkutsk merchant Grigory Shelikhov, and then of his son-in-law, Count Nikolai Rezanov. Today we invite you to take a short excursion into the history of Russian Alaska. Even if Russia did not retain this territory as part of its composition, the geopolitical demands of the moment were such that the maintenance of remote lands was more expensive than the economic benefits that could be obtained from being present on it. However, the feat of the Russians, who discovered and mastered the harsh region, still amazes with its greatness today.

History of Alaska

The first inhabitants of Alaska came to the territory of the modern US state about 15 or 20,000 years ago - they moved from Eurasia to North America through the isthmus that then connected the two continents in the place where the Bering Strait is located today.

By the time Europeans arrived in Alaska, it was inhabited by several peoples, including the Tsimshian, Haida and Tlingit, Aleut and Athabascan, as well as the Eskimo, Inupiat and Yupik. But all modern indigenous people of Alaska and Siberia have common ancestors - their genetic relationship has already been proven.

Discovery of Alaska by Russian explorers

History has not preserved the name of the first European to set foot in Alaska. But at the same time, it is very likely that he was a member of the Russian expedition. Perhaps it was the expedition of Semyon Dezhnev in 1648. It is possible that in 1732, members of the crew of the small ship “St. Gabriel”, which explored Chukotka, landed on the shores of the North American continent.

However, the official discovery of Alaska is considered to be July 15, 1741 - on this day the land was seen from one of the ships of the Second Kamchatka Expedition of the famous explorer Vitus Bering. It was Prince of Wales Island, which is located in southeast Alaska.

Subsequently, the island, sea and strait between Chukotka and Alaska were named after Vitus Bering. Assessing the scientific and political results of V. Bering’s second expedition, the Soviet historian A.V. Efimov recognized them as enormous, because during the Second Kamchatka Expedition, the American coast was reliably mapped for the first time in history as “part of North America.” However, the Russian Empress Elizabeth did not show any noticeable interest in the lands of North America. She issued a decree obliging the local population to pay duties on trade, but did not take any further steps towards developing relations with Alaska.

However, the sea otters living in coastal waters - sea otters - came to the attention of Russian industrialists. Their fur was considered one of the most valuable in the world, so fishing for sea otters was extremely profitable. So by 1743, Russian traders and fur hunters had established close contact with the Aleuts.

Development of Russian Alaska: North-Eastern Company

IN
In subsequent years, Russian travelers repeatedly landed on the Alaskan islands, hunted for sea otters and traded with local residents, and even clashed with them.

In 1762, Empress Catherine the Great ascended to the Russian throne. Her government turned its attention back to Alaska. In 1769, the duty on trade with the Aleuts was abolished. The development of Alaska has progressed by leaps and bounds. In 1772, the first Russian trading settlement was founded on the large island of Unalaska. Another 12 years later, in 1784, an expedition under the command of Grigory Shelikhov landed on the Aleutian Islands, which founded the Russian settlement of Kodiak in the Bay of Three Saints.

Irkutsk merchant Grigory Shelikhov, a Russian explorer, navigator and industrialist, glorified his name in history by the fact that since 1775 he was engaged in the arrangement of commercial trade shipping between the Kuril and Aleutian island chains as the founder of the North-Eastern Company.

His companions arrived in Alaska on three galliots, “Three Saints”, “St. Simeon" and "St. Michael". The Shelikhovites are beginning to intensively develop the island. They subjugate the local Eskimos (horses), try to develop agriculture by planting turnips and potatoes, and also conduct spiritual activities, converting the indigenous people to their faith. Orthodox missionaries made a tangible contribution to the development of Russian America.

The colony on Kodiak functioned relatively successfully until the early 90s of the 18th century. In 1792, the city, which was named Pavlovskaya Harbor, was moved to a new location - this was the result of a powerful tsunami that affected the Russian settlement.

Russian-American company

With the merger of the companies of the merchants G.I. Shelikhova, I.I. and M.S. Golikov and N.P. Mylnikov in 1798-99 a single “Russian-American Company” was created. From Paul I, who ruled Russia at that time, she received monopoly rights to fur fishing, trade and the discovery of new lands in the northeastern part of the Pacific Ocean. The company was called upon to represent and protect with its means the interests of Russia in the Pacific Ocean, and was under the “highest patronage.” Since 1801, Alexander I and the Grand Dukes and major statesmen became shareholders of the company. The main board of the company was located in St. Petersburg, but in fact all affairs were managed from Irkutsk, where Shelikhov lived.

Alexander Baranov became the first governor of Alaska under the control of the RAC. During the years of his reign, the borders of Russian possessions in Alaska expanded significantly, and new Russian settlements emerged. Redoubts appeared in the Kenai and Chugatsky bays. Construction of Novorossiysk began in Yakutat Bay. In 1796, moving south along the American coast, the Russians reached the island of Sitka.

The basis of the economy of Russian America was still the fishing of sea animals: sea otters, sea lions, which was carried out with the support of the Aleuts.

Russian-Indian War

However, indigenous people did not always welcome Russian settlers with open arms. Having reached the island of Sitka, the Russians encountered fierce resistance from the Tlingit Indians and in 1802 the Russian-Indian War broke out. Control of the island and sea otter fishing in coastal waters became the cornerstone of the conflict.

The first skirmish on the mainland took place on May 23, 1802. In June, a detachment of 600 Indians led by the leader Catlian attacked the Mikhailovsky fortress on the island of Sitka. By June, in a series of attacks that followed, the 165-member Sitka Party was completely defeated. The English brig Unicorn, which sailed to this area a little later, helped the miraculously surviving Russians to escape. The loss of Sitka was a severe blow for the Russian colonies and personally for Governor Baranov. The total losses of the Russian-American Company were 24 Russians and 200 Aleuts.

In 1804, Baranov moved from Yakutat to conquer Sitka. After a long siege and shelling of the fortress occupied by the Tlingits, on October 8, 1804, the Russian flag was raised over the native settlement. Construction of a fort and a new settlement began. Soon the city of Novo-Arkhangelsk grew here.

However, on August 20, 1805, Eyaki warriors of the Tlahaik-Tequedi clan and their Tlingit allies burned Yakutat and killed the Russians and Aleuts who remained there. In addition, at the same time, during a long sea passage, they were caught in a storm and about 250 more people died. The fall of Yakutat and the death of Demyanenkov's party were another heavy blow for the Russian colonies. An important economic and strategic base on the American coast was lost.

Further confrontation continued until 1805, when a truce was concluded with the Indians and the RAC tried to fish in the Tlingit waters in large quantities under the cover of Russian warships. However, the Tlingits even then opened fire with guns, already on the animal, which made hunting almost impossible.

As a result of Indian attacks, 2 Russian fortresses and a village in Southeast Alaska were destroyed, about 45 Russians and more than 230 natives died. All this stopped the Russian advance southward along the northwestern coast of America for several years. The Indian threat further constrained the RAC forces in the area of ​​the Alexander Archipelago and did not allow them to begin the systematic colonization of Southeast Alaska. However, after the cessation of fishing in the Indian lands, relations improved somewhat, and the RAC resumed trade with the Tlingits and even allowed them to restore their ancestral village near Novoarkhangelsk.

Let us note that the complete settlement of relations with the Tlingit took place two hundred years later - in October 2004, an official peace ceremony was held between the Kixadi clan and Russia.

The Russian-Indian War secured Alaska for Russia, but limited further Russian advances deeper into America.

Under the control of Irkutsk

Grigory Shelikhov had already died by this time: he died in 1795. His place in the management of the RAC and Alaska was taken by his son-in-law and legal heir of the Russian-American Company, Count Nikolai Petrovich Ryazanov. In 1799, he received from the ruler of Russia, Emperor Paul I, the right to a monopoly of the American fur trade.

Nikolai Rezanov was born in 1764 in St. Petersburg, but after some time his father was appointed chairman of the civil chamber of the provincial court in Irkutsk. Rezanov himself serves in the Life Guards Izmailovsky Regiment, and is even personally responsible for the protection of Catherine II, but in 1791 he also receives an appointment to Irkutsk. Here he was supposed to inspect the activities of Shelikhov’s company.

In Irkutsk, Rezanov gets acquainted with “Columbus of Russia”: this is how contemporaries called Shelikhov, the founder of the first Russian settlements in America. In an effort to strengthen his position, Shelikhov wooed his eldest daughter, Anna, for Rezanov. Thanks to this marriage, Nikolai Rezanov received the right to participate in the affairs of the family company and became a co-owner of huge capital, and the bride from a merchant family received the family coat of arms and all the privileges of the titled Russian nobility. From this moment on, Rezanov’s fate is closely connected with Russian America. And his young wife (Anna was 15 years old at the time of marriage) died a few years later.

The activities of the RAC were a unique phenomenon in the history of Russia at that time. It was the first such large monopoly organization with fundamentally new forms of commerce that took into account the specifics of the Pacific fur trade. Today this would be called a public-private partnership: merchants, resellers and fishermen worked closely with government authorities. This necessity was dictated by the moment: firstly, the distances between the fishing and marketing areas were enormous. Secondly, the practice of using share capital was established: financial flows from people who were not directly related to it were involved in the fur trade. The government partly regulated and supported these relations. The fortunes of merchants and the fates of people who went to the ocean for “soft gold” often depended on his position.

And it was in the interests of the state to quickly develop economic relations with China and establish a further route to the East. The new Minister of Commerce N.P. Rumyantsev presented two notes to Alexander I, where he described the advantages of this direction: “The British and Americans, delivering their junk from Notka Sound and the Charlotte Islands directly to Canton, will always have an advantage in this trade, and this will continue until then It will be until the Russians themselves pave the way to Canton.” Rumyantsev foresaw the benefits of opening trade with Japan “not only for American villages, but also for the entire northern region of Siberia” and proposed using a round-the-world expedition to send “an embassy to the Japanese court” led by a person “with abilities and knowledge of political and commercial affairs.” . Historians believe that even then he meant Nikolai Rezanov by such a person, since it was assumed that upon completion of the Japanese mission he would go to survey Russian possessions in America.

Around the World Rezanov

Rezanov knew about the planned expedition already in the spring of 1803. “Now I’m preparing for a hike,” she wrote in a private letter. - Two merchant ships purchased in London are given to my command. They are equipped with a decent crew, guard officers are assigned to the mission with me, and in general an expedition has been organized for the journey. My path is from Kronstadt to Portsmouth, from there to Tenerife, then to Brazil and, bypassing Cap Horn, to Valpareso, from there to the Sandwich Islands, finally to Japan and in 1805 - to spend the winter in Kamchatka. From there I will go to Unalaska, Kodiak, Prince William Sound and go down to Nootka, from which I will return to Kodiak and, loaded with goods, go to Canton, to the Philippine Islands... I will return around the Cape of Good Hope.”

Meanwhile, the RAC accepted Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern into the service and entrusted two ships called “Nadezhda” and “Neva” to his “superiorship”. In a special supplement, the board notified of the appointment of N.P. Rezanov was the head of the embassy to Japan and authorized “him to act like a complete master not only during the voyage, but also in America.”

“The Russian-American Company,” reported the Hamburg Gazette (No. 137, 1802), “is zealously concerned about expanding its trade, which in time will be very useful for Russia, and is now engaged in a great enterprise, important not only for commerce, but also for the honor of the Russian people, namely, she equips two ships that will be loaded in St. Petersburg with food supplies, anchors, ropes, sails, etc., and must sail to the northwestern shores of America in order to supply the Russian colonies in the Aleutian Islands with these needs, to be loaded furs there, exchange them in China for its goods, establish a colony on Urup, one of the Kuril Islands, for convenient trade with Japan, go from there to the Cape of Good Hope, and return to Europe. There will only be Russians on these ships. The Emperor approved the plan and ordered the selection of the best naval officers and sailors for the success of this expedition, which will be the first trip of the Russians around the world.”

The historian Karamzin wrote about the expedition and the attitude of various circles of Russian society towards it: “Anglomaniacs and Gallomaniacs, who want to be called cosmopolitans, think that Russians should trade locally. Peter thought differently - he was Russian at heart and a patriot. We stand on the earth and on Russian soil, we look at the world not through the glasses of taxonomists, but with our natural eyes, we need the development of the fleet and industry, enterprise and daring.” In Vestnik Evropy, Karamzin published letters from officers who had gone on a voyage, and all of Russia waited with trepidation for this news.

On August 7, 1803, exactly 100 years after Peter founded St. Petersburg and Kronstadt, the Nadezhda and Neva weighed anchor. The circumnavigation of the world has begun. Through Copenhagen, Falmouth, Tenerife to the shores of Brazil, and then around Cape Horn, the expedition reached the Marquesas and, by June 1804, the Hawaiian Islands. Here the ships split up: “Nadezhda” went to Petropavlovsk-on-Kamchatka, and “Neva” went to Kodiak Island. When Nadezhda arrived in Kamchatka, preparations began for the embassy to Japan.

Reza is new in Japan

Leaving Petropavlovsk on August 27, 1804, Nadezhda headed southwest. A month later, the shores of northern Japan appeared in the distance. A great celebration took place on the ship; the expedition members were awarded silver medals. However, the joy turned out to be premature: due to the abundance of errors in the charts, the ship took the wrong course. In addition, a severe storm began, in which Nadezhda was badly damaged, but, fortunately, she managed to stay afloat, despite serious damage. And on September 28, the ship entered the port of Nagasaki.

However, here again difficulties arose: the Japanese official who met the expedition stated that the entrance to Nagasaki harbor was open only to Dutch ships, and for others it was impossible without a special order from the Japanese emperor. Fortunately, Rezanov had such permission. And despite the fact that Alexander I secured the consent of his Japanese “colleague” 12 years ago, access to the harbor was open to the Russian ship, albeit with some bewilderment. True, Nadezhda was obliged to give out gunpowder, cannons and all firearms, sabers and swords, only one of which could be provided to the ambassador. Rezanov knew about such Japanese laws for foreign ships and agreed to give up all the weapons except the officers’ swords and the guns of his personal guard.

However, several more months of sophisticated diplomatic treaties passed before the ship was allowed to get close to the Japanese coast, and the envoy Rezanov himself was allowed to move to land. The crew continued to live on board all this time, until the end of December. An exception was provided only for astronomers conducting their observations - they were allowed to land on the ground. At the same time, the Japanese kept a vigilant watch over the sailors and the embassy. They were forbidden even to send letters to their homeland with the Dutch ship leaving for Batavia. Only the envoy was allowed to write a short report to Alexander I about the safe voyage.

The envoy and his retinue had to live in honorable captivity for four months, until their departure from Japan. Only occasionally could Rezanov see our sailors and the director of the Dutch trading post. Rezanov, however, did not waste time: he diligently continued his studies of the Japanese language, simultaneously compiling two manuscripts (“A Brief Russian-Japanese Guide” and a dictionary containing more than five thousand words), which Rezanov later wanted to transfer to the Navigation School in Irkutsk. They were subsequently published by the Academy of Sciences.

Only on April 4, Rezanov’s first audience took place with one of the high-ranking local dignitaries, who brought the Japanese Emperor’s response to the message of Alexander I. The answer read: “The Lord of Japan is extremely surprised by the arrival of the Russian embassy; the emperor cannot accept the embassy, ​​and does not want correspondence and trade with the Russians and asks the ambassador to leave Japan.”

Rezanov, in turn, noted that, although it is not for him to judge which emperor is more powerful, he considers the response of the Japanese ruler impudent and emphasized that Russia’s proposal for trade relations between the countries was, rather, a mercy “out of a single love of humanity.” The dignitaries, embarrassed by such pressure, suggested postponing the audience to another day, when the envoy would not be so excited.

The second audience was calmer. The dignitaries denied any possibility of cooperation with other countries, including trade, as prohibited by fundamental law, and, moreover, explained it by their inability to undertake a reciprocal embassy. Then a third audience took place, during which the parties undertook to provide each other with written answers. But this time too, the position of the Japanese government remained unchanged: citing formal reasons and tradition, Japan firmly decided to maintain its former isolation. Rezanov drew up a memorandum to the Japanese government in connection with the refusal to establish trade relations and returned to Nadezhda.

Some historians see the reasons for the failure of the diplomatic mission in the ardor of the count himself, others suspect that it was due to the intrigues of the Dutch side, who wanted to maintain their priority in relations with Japan, but after almost seven months in Nagasaki, on April 18, 1805, the Nadezhda weighed anchor and went out to the open sea.

The Russian ship was forbidden to approach the Japanese shores in the future. However, Kruzenshtern still devoted another three months to researching those places that La Perouse had not previously studied enough. He was going to clarify the geographical location of all the Japanese islands, most of the coast of Korea, the western coast of the island of Jessoi and the coast of Sakhalin, describe the coast of Aniva and Terpeniya bays and conduct a study of the Kuril Islands. A significant part of this huge plan was completed.

Having completed the description of Aniva Bay, Kruzenshtern continued his work on marine surveys of the eastern coast of Sakhalin to Cape Terpeniya, but would soon have to stop them, as the ship encountered large accumulations of ice. “Nadezhda” with great difficulty entered the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and a few days later, overcoming bad weather, returned to Peter and Paul Harbor.

Envoy Rezanov transferred to the ship of the Russian-American company "Maria", on which he went to the company's main base on Kodiak Island, near Alaska, where he was supposed to streamline the organization of local management of colonies and fisheries.

Rezanov in Alaska

As the “owner” of the Russian-American company, Nikolai Rezanov delved into all the intricacies of management. He was struck by the fighting spirit of the Baranovites, the tirelessness, and efficiency of Baranov himself. But there were more than enough difficulties: there was not enough food - famine was approaching, the land was infertile, there were not enough bricks for construction, there was no mica for windows, copper, without which it was impossible to equip a ship, was considered a terrible rarity.

Rezanov himself wrote in a letter from Sitkha: “We all live very closely; but our acquirer of these places lives the worst of all, in some kind of plank yurt, filled with dampness to the point that every day the mold is wiped off and with the local heavy rains from all sides it’s like a sieve of flowing water. Wonderful man! He only cares about the quiet space of others, but he is so careless about himself that one day I found his bed floating and asked if the wind had torn off the side board of his temple somewhere? “No,” he answered calmly, apparently it had flowed towards me from the square, “and he continued his orders.”

The population of Russian America, as Alaska was called, grew very slowly. In 1805, the number of Russian colonists was about 470 people, in addition, depending on the company there were a significant number of Indians (according to Rezanov’s census there were 5,200 people on Kodiak Island). The people who served in the company’s institutions were mostly a violent people, for which Nikolai Petrovich aptly called the Russian settlements a “drunk republic.”

He did a lot to improve the lives of the population: he resumed the work of the school for boys, and sent some to study in Irkutsk, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. A girls' school for one hundred pupils was also established. He founded a hospital that could be used by both Russian employees and natives, and a court was established. Rezanov insisted that all Russians living in the colonies should study the language of the natives and he himself compiled dictionaries of the Russian-Kodiak and Russian-Unalash languages.

Having familiarized himself with the state of affairs in Russian America, Rezanov quite correctly decided that the way out and salvation from hunger was in organizing trade with California, in founding a Russian settlement there that would supply Russian America with bread and dairy products. By that time, the population of Russian America, according to Rezanov’s census, carried out in the Unalashka and Kodiak departments, was 5,234 people.

"Juno and Avos"

It was decided to sail to California immediately. For this purpose, one of the two ships that arrived in Sitkha was purchased from the Englishman Wulf for 68 thousand piastres. The ship "Juno" was purchased along with the cargo of provisions on board, and the products were transferred to the settlers. And the ship itself sailed to California under the Russian flag on February 26, 1806.

Upon arrival in California, Rezanov conquered the commandant of the fortress, Jose Dario Arguello, with his courtly manners and charmed his daughter, fifteen-year-old Concepcion. It is not known whether the mysterious and beautiful 42-year-old stranger admitted to her that he had already been married once and was widowed, but the girl was smitten.

Of course, Conchita, like many young girls of all times and peoples, dreamed of meeting a handsome prince. It is not surprising that Commander Rezanov, Chamberlain of His Imperial Majesty, a stately, powerful, handsome man, easily won her heart. In addition, he was the only one from the Russian delegation who spoke Spanish and talked a lot with the girl, clouding her mind with stories about brilliant St. Petersburg, Europe, the court of Catherine the Great...

Was there a tender feeling on the part of Nikolai Rezanov himself? Despite the fact that the story of his love for Conchita became one of the most beautiful romantic legends, his contemporaries doubted it. Rezanov himself, in a letter to his patron and friend Count Nikolai Rumyantsev, admitted that the reason that prompted him to propose his hand and heart to a young Spaniard was more for the benefit of the Fatherland than a passionate feeling. The ship’s doctor was of the same opinion, writing in his reports: “One would think that he fell in love with this beauty. However, in view of the prudence inherent in this cold man, it would be more cautious to admit that he simply had some kind of diplomatic designs on her.”

One way or another, the marriage proposal was made and accepted. Here's how Rezanov himself writes about it:

“My proposal struck down her (Conchita’s) parents, who were raised in fanaticism. The difference of religions and the upcoming separation from their daughter were a thunderclap for them. They resorted to missionaries, who did not know what to decide. They took poor Concepsia to church, confessed her, convinced her to refuse, but her determination finally calmed everyone down.

The Holy Fathers left it to the permission of the Roman Throne, and if I could not consummate my marriage, then I made a conditional act and forced us to be engaged... From that time, having presented myself to the commandant as a close relative, I already managed the port of the Catholic Majesty so, as my benefits demanded it, and the governor was extremely surprised and amazed to see that, at the wrong time, he assured me of the sincere dispositions of this house and that he himself, so to speak, found himself visiting me ... "

In addition, Rezanov got a cargo of “2156 poods” very cheaply. wheat, 351 poods. barley, 560 poods. legumes Lard and oils for 470 pounds. and all sorts of other things worth 100 poods, so much so that the ship could not leave at first.”

Conchita promised to wait for her fiancé, who was supposed to deliver a cargo of supplies to Alaska, and then was going to St. Petersburg. He intended to secure the Emperor's petition to the Pope in order to obtain official permission from the Catholic Church for their marriage. This could take about two years.

A month later, Juno and Avos, full of provisions and other cargo, arrived in Novo-Arkhangelsk. Despite the diplomatic calculations, Count Rezanov had no intention of deceiving the young Spaniard. He immediately goes to St. Petersburg in order to ask permission to conclude a family union, despite the muddy roads and weather that is not suitable for such a trip.

Crossing rivers on horseback on thin ice, he fell into the water several times, caught a cold and lay unconscious for 12 days. He was taken to Krasnoyarsk, where on March 1, 1807 he died.

Concepson never married. She did charity work and taught Indians. In the early 1840s, Donna Concepcion joined the third Order of the White Clergy, and upon the founding of the Monastery of St. Dominic in the city of Benicia in 1851, she became its first nun under the name Maria Dominga. She died at the age of 67 on December 23, 1857.

Alaska after Le Rezanova

Since 1808, Novo-Arkhangelsk has become the center of Russian America. All this time, the management of the American territories has been carried out from Irkutsk, where the main headquarters of the Russian-American company is still located. Officially, Russian America was first included in the Siberian General Government, and after its division in 1822 into Western and Eastern, into the East Siberian General Government.

In 1812, Baranov, director of the Russian-American Company, established the company's southern representative office on the shores of California's Bodija Bay. This representative office was named Russian Village, now known as Fort Ross.

Baranov retired as director of the Russian-American Company in 1818. He dreamed of returning home - to Russia, but died on the way.

Naval officers came to lead the company and contributed to the development of the company, however, unlike Baranov, the naval leadership had very little interest in the trading business itself, and were extremely nervous about the settlement of Alaska by the British and Americans. The management of the company, in the name of the Russian Emperor, prohibited the invasion of all foreign ships within 160 km of the waters near the Russian colonies in Alaska. Of course, such an order was immediately protested by Great Britain and the United States government.

The dispute with the United States was settled by a convention in 1824, which determined the exact northern and southern boundaries of Russian territory in Alaska. In 1825, Russia came to an agreement with Britain, also defining the exact eastern and western borders. The Russian Empire gave both sides (Britain and the United States) the right to trade in Alaska for 10 years, after which Alaska completely became the property of Russia.

Sales in Alaska

However, while at the beginning of the 19th century Alaska generated income through the fur trade, by the middle of the century it began to seem that the costs of maintaining and protecting this remote and geopolitically vulnerable territory outweighed the potential profits. The area of ​​the territory subsequently sold was 1,518,800 km² and was practically uninhabited - according to the RAC itself, at the time of the sale the population of all Russian Alaska and the Aleutian Islands numbered about 2,500 Russians and about 60,000 Indians and Eskimos.

Historians have mixed views on the sale of Alaska. Some are of the opinion that this measure was forced due to Russia’s conduct of the Crimean campaign (1853-1856) and the difficult situation at the fronts. Others insist that the deal was purely commercial. One way or another, the first question about the sale of Alaska to the United States to the Russian government was raised by the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Count N. N. Muravyov-Amursky in 1853. In his opinion, this was inevitable, and at the same time would strengthen Russia's position on the Asian Pacific coast in the face of the growing penetration of the British Empire. At that time, her Canadian possessions extended directly east of Alaska.

Relations between Russia and Britain were sometimes openly hostile. During the Crimean War, when the British fleet tried to land troops in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the possibility of a direct clash in America became real.

In turn, the American government also wanted to prevent the occupation of Alaska by the British Empire. In the spring of 1854, he received a proposal for a fictitious (temporary, for a period of three years) sale by the Russian-American Company of all its possessions and property for 7,600 thousand dollars. RAC entered into such an agreement with the American-Russian Trading Company in San Francisco, controlled by the US government, but it did not come into force, since RAC managed to reach an agreement with the British Hudson's Bay Company.

Subsequent negotiations on this issue took about another ten years. Finally, in March 1867, a draft agreement was agreed upon in general terms for the purchase of Russian possessions in America for $7.2 million. It is curious that this is exactly how much the building in which the contract for the sale of such a huge territory was signed cost.

The signing of the treaty took place on March 30, 1867 in Washington. And on October 18, Alaska was officially transferred to the United States. Since 1917, this day has been celebrated in the United States as Alaska Day.

The entire Alaska Peninsula (along a line running along the 141° meridian west of Greenwich), a coastal strip 10 miles wide south of Alaska along the western coast of British Columbia, passed to the United States; Alexandra archipelago; Aleutian Islands with Attu Island; the islands of Blizhnye, Rat, Lisya, Andreyanovskiye, Shumagina, Trinity, Umnak, Unimak, Kodiak, Chirikova, Afognak and other smaller islands; Islands in the Bering Sea: St. Lawrence, St. Matthew, Nunivak and the Pribilof Islands - St. George and St. Paul. Along with the territory, all real estate, all colonial archives, official and historical documents related to the transferred territories were transferred to the United States.

Alaska today

Despite the fact that Russia sold these lands as unpromising, the United States did not lose out from the deal. Just 30 years later, the famous gold rush began in Alaska - the word Klondike became a household word. According to some reports, over the past century and a half, more than 1,000 tons of gold have been exported from Alaska. At the beginning of the twentieth century, oil was also discovered there (today the region’s reserves are estimated at 4.5 billion barrels). Both coal and non-ferrous metal ores are mined in Alaska. Thanks to the huge number of rivers and lakes, fishing and the seafood industry flourish there as large private enterprises. Tourism is also developed.

Today, Alaska is the largest and one of the richest states in the United States.

Sources

• Commander Rezanov. Website dedicated to Russian explorers of new lands
• Abstract “History of Russian Alaska: from discovery to sale”, St. Petersburg State University, 2007, author not specified