Lest we forget, the story of the United States is one of immigration (and yes, that is a deliberately political comment). The arrival and consequent colonisation by the Spanish and English is well known of course. But the influence of Russia on these north-western coasts is less often mentioned, and was new to me until we visited Fort Ross.
The fort is situated atop a mesa which is surrounded by ravines which abut the sea. It is constructed of redwood planks (there is no other wood used in any of the structures) and forms a palisade. It is four varas* high, uniformly, and is surmounted by a beam set with pointed stakes intended to dissuade any assault. It has three gates: one to the northeast, one to the west and one to the southeast…
Diary of Father Mariano Payeras, 1822
The story of Fort Ross
We stopped at Fort Ross (today a California State Park) on the one not sunny day of our recent road trip. But while the skies were grey, the sea fret lent an air of mystery to the scenes that heightened the sense of a journey back in time.
We arrived just as the park was opening and started with a brief look around the small museum in the visitor centre to learn more about the fort. It takes its name not from someone called Ross, as I had initially assumed, but from Rossia. This was the base for a Russian trading company providing support for their activities in Alaska. It is notable for being the first multi-ethnic community in northern California, home to a mix of Native Californians, Native Alaskans, Russians, Finns, and Swedes.
Russian fur traders arrived in what is now California via Siberia and then down the coast from present-day Alaska. As they moved south the Spanish were moving north up the same coast, while the British were expanding ever-westwards. By the time America won its independence from Britain the Russians were well established here, and decided to make a settlement in an area ‘not occupied by Europeans’, north of the limit of Spanish occupation in San Francisco. A site was chosen near the native village of Metini. Fort Ross was established here as an agricultural base from which the northern settlements could be supplied with food, while also continuing trade with the Spanish and with the native peoples of this area, the Kashaya Pomo.
Visiting the fort
A path wound down from the visitor centre through woodland with bushes draped in spiders’ webs adorned with raindrops.
As we approached the fort we could see the stockade walls. These are not the originals, which took a battering from the elements at this exposed location. They were rebuilt at various times throughout the twentieth century and now have foundations of structural steel and concrete. As the state park’s website explains, these may not be historically accurate, but are ‘expected to be more permanent than redwood posts stuck into damp ground’.
Within the stockade are a number of buildings. Of these only one is original, the home of Alexander Rotchev, the last manager of Ross, dating from around 1836. However even that one has been substantially restored and in part rebuilt over the years. The rest are replicas, constructed mostly during the 1970s and 1980s. But all are largely authentic in appearance and carry the sense of history. Several, including the Kuskov House which is a reconstruction of the first manager’s home, have been furnished as they would have been when the fort was in use, and photos can be taken throughout.
Hover over the images in the gallery below to see captions
The rather grey misty scenes were brightened here and there by splashes of pink flowers on bare stems. I later discovered that these were Belladonna Lilies, natives of South Africa but now widespread in this part of the US.
A walk to the cliffs
From the gate on the south side of the stockade you can access the cliffs. Despite the mist the sea views were wonderful. I watched as a small boat with two fishermen on board battled the waves.
A final sight before we left was to be found by the car park. There were once at least three windmills at Fort Ross, the first of their kind in California, but all have been lost over time.
This replica was constructed in 2012, completely by hand, using the same methods that were presumed to have been used in the days of the Russian American settlement. Its pieces were constructed in Russia and shipped to California. There it was fully assembled and now stands as the only working Russian windmill of this style. However it is probably not true to the original main windmill here as its style is of a later period and doesn’t match contemporary descriptions. Nevertheless it was an interesting last image to take away from our visit.
Hopefully Jo will enjoy this Monday Walk, despite the lack of sunshine – and cake!
I visited Fort Ross in September 2024
* A ‘A vara’ is a Spanish unit of measurement, almost a yard: 33 inches
37 Comments
Teresa
Interesting to find out all
about this. And loving the misty shots. Thanks Sarah.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Teresa – I’m glad you found this interesting and enjoyed the mist 🙂
Amy
Love the misty photos! Interesting to read about the history.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Amy – we missed the sunshine of the previous day but the mist did make for some interesting photos 🙂
Annie Berger
Like others have said, I had no idea of the Russian involvement in California. Thanks so much for bringing that tidbit of history to my attention, Sarah.I really enjoyed reading this detailed story about the fort and looking at the photos of it and the stark coastline.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Annie 🙂 I didn’t know anything about the Russians being in California either but I’ve been surprised that even most of my US friends were unaware of this bit of their history! I guess they didn’t make as much impact as the British and Spanish 😀
Annie Berger
Thanks for responding as I meant to add we saw Russian churches on our Alaska trip which I found quite fascinating.
Also, perhaps in my defense I was ignorant of the Russian influence in California because I grew up in Canada and was therefore not taught that level of detail of Californian history!
Sarah Wilkie
Oh no, I knew you were Canadian! I was referring to some of the other comments below 😀
grandmisadventures
How interesting to learn about the Russian influence here in California. I love the mist over the fort- makes it all seem very atmospheric.
Sarah Wilkie
I found that interesting too 🙂 And once I’d forgiven the weather for mot being as warm and sunny as the previous day I too enjoyed the mist!
Rose
I think of these previous Russian settlements, especially Alaska, as the Ukraine-Russian war continues. What if Russia decides it wants the land it previously held/settled, back from the USA, what would our leaders do then? Let it go, as they tell Ukraine to do? The leaders of this nation of immigrants have become quite hard-hearted and disorganized, and who knows what our future holds when the new/former leader is back in office.
Sarah Wilkie
I don’t think Putin will turn his eyes on Alaska. His main driver is his belief that the Soviet Union should never have been dismantled. There is footage of him when in the KGB decrying the policies that led to its break up, and in trying to capture Ukraine he is trying to recreate what was lost. I fear most for the Baltic states like Estonia and Latvia, in both of which I have friends. But yes, who knows what damage your next leader will do, both to your country and the rest of the world.
Sue
How very interesting…I had no idea the Russians were involved in that region. Marvellous set of Images, and I would agree that the sea fret lent an air of mystery to the scenes that heightened the sense of a journey back in time.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Sue 😊 It seems none of us knew the Russians were here – I’m glad it wasn’t just me!
kzmcb
Very interesting, Sarah.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, glad you found it so 🙂
bushboy
The weather adds ambience Sarah
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Brian 🙂
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
Interesting, I never thought of Russians being in California at that time! Of course you are right about immigration. We come from generations of migrants as well. It’s a good thing.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anabel 🙂 No, it was news to me too that they came this far south along the coast from Alaska – I’ve always thought of California as being primarily Spanish in terms of colonisation, with considerable immigration from the Far East, but not realised Russians were here in any number too.
Marie
What an interesting trip – did you do it as a day trip from San Francisco or were you travelling north from the city anyway….
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Marie 🙂 This would be a long day trip out of San Francisco (but do-able if you took the faster inland roads). No, we were on a road trip which started from there and followed the coast for several days before turning inland. This was the morning of our second day out of the city after spending the previous night near Bodega Bay. You’ve made me wonder if people would be interested in an overview of our itinerary in addition to some separate posts. What do you think?
Marie
I think an itinerary would be great … I’d love to see your route….
Sarah Wilkie
Working on it as we speak – thank you for the inspiration!
EgÃdio
What a beautiful gallery, Sarah! The fog added so much beauty and mystery to these wonderful historical photos.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Egidio 😊 I’m pleased you like the effect of the fog!
Ingrid
The mist definitely added a nice touch to your photos. Thank you for the educational tour. I had no idea Russia had any involvement with the fur trade. Great spider web capture.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Ingrid 🙂 The history of Russian involvement along this coast was new to me (I knew they’d been in Alaska but not this far south). Glad you like the spiders’ webs – there were hundreds of them!
thehungrytravellers.blog
You’re right, Sarah, the mist definitely adds an air of mystery to the scene and enhances your telling of the history.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Phil, glad you agree it enhances it 🙂 When we saw the weather first thing we were a little disappointed (the previous day had been gloriously sunny) but in the end it proved good to see the area in different conditions.
restlessjo
I did enjoy unfamiliar territory, Sarah, and never worry over lack of cake. It’s so not what you would expect of California, is it, and looks distinctly bleak at times? But life isn’t all sunshine and I’m well aware of that. Many thanks for sharing!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Jo 😘 This particular stretch of California coast (north of and including San Francisco) is notorious for fog so we counted ourselves lucky only to have one day like this!
margaret21
The way world maps are presented in atlases make it easy to forget how very close America and Russia are to each other, so of course it all makes sense when one stops to think. What a very interesting and different day you had!
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, it’s easy to forget they’re that close. I believe if you count little islands belong to the two different countries it’s actually possible to see one from the other!
margaret21
I can believe that!
Anne Sandler
I’m so glad you visited Ft. Ross Sarah. You certainly got the morning coastal fog treatment. When we were there, the sun was shining and wild white calla lilies where all along the shore and path to the fort.
Sarah Wilkie
I’m not sure I’d call it ‘morning coastal fog’ – it lasted most of the day! But this was the only day we didn’t have sun, so we did very well for weather on this trip 🙂