Travelling back in time at Fort Ross

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