Fort Ross, California

Fort Ross is a former Russian establishment on the west coast of North America in what is now Sonoma County, California. It was notable as the first multi-ethnic community north of the Spanish missions in what is now the U.S. state of California. Owned and operated by the Russian-American Company, it was the hub of the southernmost Russian settlements in North America from 1812 to 1841. Notably cosmopolitan, different ethnic groups settled in and around the fort: Native Californians, Native Alaskans, Russians, Finns, Swedes.[4] It has been the subject of archaeological investigation and is a California Historical Landmark, a National Historic Landmark, and on the National Register of Historic Places. It is part of California's Fort Ross State Historic Park.

Etymology

The present name, Fort Ross,[5] appears first on a French chart published in 1842 by Eugène Duflot de Mofras, who visited California in 1840. The name of the fort is said to derive from the Russian word rus or ros, the same root as the word "Russia" (Pоссия, Rossiya) (Fort Ross (Russian: Форт-Росс, Kashaya mé·ṭiʔni), originally Fortress Ross (pre-reformed Russian: Крѣпость Россъ, tr. Krepostʹ Ross).[6] According to William Bright, "Ross" is a poetic name for a Russian in the Russian language.[7] The Spanish sometimes called it Presidio Ruso or Presidio de Bodega.[8]

History

Beginning with Columbus in 1492, the Spanish presence in the Western Hemisphere traveled west across the Atlantic Ocean, then around or across the Americas to reach the Pacific Ocean. The Russian expansion, however, moved east across Siberia and the northern Pacific. In the early nineteenth century, Spanish and Russian expansion met along the coast of Spanish Alta California, with Russia pushing south and Spain pushing north.[9] By that time, British and American fur trade companies had also established a coastal presence, in the Pacific Northwest, and Mexico was soon to gain independence. Mexico ceded Alta California to the United States following the Mexican–American War (1848).[10] The history of the Russian Fort Ross settlement began during Spanish rule and ended under Mexican rule.

Fort Ross Cemetery

In 1990–1992, the Fort Ross Cemetery, located on a ridge adjacent to the settlement, was cleared and 135 gravesites were identified by archaeological excavations. The project was undertaken in collaboration with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), the Kodiak Area Native Association, the Kashaya Pomo, the Bodega Miwok, and the California Native American Heritage Commission.[36] The graves were mostly contained in the main cemetery, across the fort and in view of the chapel, but two grave sites were found outside this area. Russian Orthodox tradition states that the dead must be buried in view of a chapel, so it was unexpected to find people buried out of view of it. It is not known why these people were buried outside the main cemetery, but it is possibly because they were buried before the arrival of the Russian Orthodox community and their religious beliefs.

The cemetery served as a burial ground for both Russians and native people, showing no differentiation of rank or status. Out of the 135 graves excavated, 131 had human remains, and four were empty. The empty graves may have been due to poor preservation of human remains or the earlier removal of the human remains to a different grave site.[37] Based on the grave dimensions, it is estimated that half of the burials were children, who represented 47% of the population of Fort Ross by 1838. Studies show that disease was a common reason for death, as well as various accidents and drownings.[38]

Windmills at Fort Ross

Much archaeological research has been done at Fort Ross, more recently in search of the windmills. The historical record states there were at least three windmills, possibly four, although the fourth may have been a watermill or a man- or animal-powered mill.[41] The windmills have gained much attention because various accounts of their exact locations are sometimes inconsistent and vague. There was, in fact, one windmill located not far from the northern end of the blockade, which was most likely used to grind wheat and barley flour.[41] Based on the descriptions given by people who visited Fort Ross, it has been concluded that the main windmill, located outside the blockade, was the traditional style Russian .[41] The root word "stolb" means thick vertical pole.

At the time, the only mills in California, which was under Spanish/Mexican rule, were either water or animal powered.[42] What made the Russian mills significant is that they were the first windmills in California. The Russian needed a very large center post which was sunk into the ground and supported the transverse pole. The transverse pole was rotated by the wings of the mill that faced the wind current.

The Fort Ross Archaeological Project

The Fort Ross Archeological Project began in the summer of 1988, directed by Professor Kent Lightfoot of the University of California, Berkeley. The purpose was to "examine the nature, extent, and direction of cultural change among native workers in a pluralistic, hierarchically structured, mercantile colony." In addition to the Archaeological Research Facility and Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, the project saw collaboration with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Sonoma State University, Santa Rosa Junior College, the Sakhalin Regional Museum, and the Kodiak Area Native Association.[43][38]

In 1988 and 1989, an encompassing survey of the original 2.8 square kilometer property of Fort Ross Historic State Park was done to determine the size, layout, and archaeological components of native settlements, before and after the establishment of Fort Ross. After dividing the park into a dozen survey blocks in the area of the reconstructed stockade complex, a pedestrian survey of each respective block was undertaken to detect any archaeological remnants. Thirty sites were recorded, mapped, and underwent surface collection. Including the use of historical maps and any presence of temporally-sensitive project point and historical artifact types, several methods were used in determining the chronology of sites; however, this was done primarily by the hydration band measurements of obsidian artifacts. The Obsidian Hydration Laboratory of Sonoma State University completed research of the hydration rates of several local sources of obsidian. 329 obsidian artifacts were collected from Fort Ross sites and analyzed by the laboratory.[43]

Colonial administrators

Fort Ross colony had five administrators:

• Ivan A. Kuskov, 1812–1821
• Karl J. von Schmidt, 1821–1824
• Pavel I. Shelikhov, 1824–1830
• Petr S. Kostromitinov, 1830–1838
• Aleksander G. Rotchev, 1838–1841

Derived place names

Along with its status as a National Historic Landmark, the fort itself and the surrounding area are part of Fort Ross State Historic Park. Fort Ross also designates the small rural community that exists between the towns of Cazadero, Jenner, and Gualala, with the Fort Ross Elementary School at its center.[18]

Milestones

Annual international conference on Russian–U.S. relations

Starting in 2012,[50] the Fort Ross Conservancy has been hosting the Fort Ross Dialogue annual international conference on US–Russian Relations and Fort Ross Festival, co-sponsored by Transneft, Chevron and Sovcomflot. The first Russia-based meeting within the framework of the Dialogue was held in Pskov (Russian Federation) on 29 and 30 May 2017.[51] The first day of the Forum was marked by the panel discussion "Towards each other: Russian trailblazers and American pioneers: similarities and dissimilarities of Russian and US experience in arranging museum operations, financing structure, role of the state and private business in promoting cultural sites". On the second day, the forum participants representing business circles and the expert community of Russia and the U.S. reviewed the interaction potential between the two nations in energy industry at the panel discussion "The energy sector as an important element Russian and USA geopolitics".

Buildings

Fort Ross State Historic Park

The 3393 acre Fort Ross State Historic Park was established in 1909.[52] A 3000 acre site was purchased in 1906 by the State of California, to preserve the archaeological remains of the area. Later, more land was purchased, and the park now includes some of the surrounding lands, which, although not originally part of the compound, still hold valuable archaeological evidence.[53]

The park is located on the northern California coast about 12 miles north of the town of Jenner and 22 miles north of Bodega Bay.[54] Fort Ross is located on the coast, meaning it is vulnerable to erosion and other natural processes, such as acidic soil, wildfires, and even the destruction of animals like gophers. The other possible disturbance comes from cultural processes; that is, humans and their actions. Harmful activities include illegal collecting and, more generally, the wear and tear that occurs simply from people visiting the site.[53]

Climate

The National Weather Service has maintained a cooperative weather station at Fort Ross for many years. Based on those observations, Fort Ross has cool, damp weather most of the year. Fog and low overcast is common throughout the year. There are occasional warm days in the summer, which also tend to be relatively dry except for drizzle from heavy fogs or passing showers. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Fort Ross has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb).

In January, average temperatures range from 57.0 °F to 41.5 °F. In July, average temperatures range from 66.3 °F to 47.8 °F. September is actually the warmest month with average temperatures ranging from 68.1 °F to 48.7 °F. There are an average of only 0.2 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and 5.8 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The record high temperature was 97 °F on September 3, 1950. The record low temperature was 20 °F on December 8, 1972.

Average annual precipitation is 37.64 in, falling on an average of 81 days each year. The wettest year was 1983 with 71.27 in and the driest year was 1976 with 17.98 in. The wettest month on record was February 1998 with 21.68 in. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 5.70 in on January 14, 1956. Snow rarely falls at Fort Ross; the record snowfall was 0.4 in on December 30, 1987.[59]

In popular culture

Fort Ross serves as the backdrop in the short story "Facts Relating to the Arrest of Dr. Kalugin," part of Kage Baker's series of science fiction stories concerning "The Company".

Fort Ross is featured in a 1991 episode of California's Gold with Huell Howser.[62]

See also

• California fur rush
• Russian America
• Russian Fort Elizabeth
• Russian-American Company flag
• Timofei Nikitich Tarakanov
• List of beaches in Sonoma County, California
• List of California state parks
• List of Sonoma County Regional Parks facilities
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Sonoma County, California
• List of National Historic Landmarks in California

External links

• Official Fort Ross Conservacy website
• Fort Ross State Historic Park
• Fort Ross State Historic Park
• Withdrawal of Fort Ross Chapel: National Historic Landmarks Program
• Commander's House, Fort Ross National Historic Landmark listing