By: Ian Curtis March 10, 2019

Throughout history, many European nations have expanded westward in search of new lands. Spain, France, Portugal, and Britain all had colonial possessions in the Americas. But not every country followed this westward track of exploration.

Since its formation, Russia has always expanded eastward into Siberia and beyond. Through a series of expeditions during the 17th century, Russia began to fully map and settle their eastern frontier, culminating in the Second Kamchatka Expedition, in which Alexi Chirikov and Dane Vitus Bering set out for what is now known as Alaska. On the 15th of July, 1741, members of Chirikov’s crew became the first Europeans to set foot on the western coast of North America. On July 16, Bering and his crew sighted Mount Saint Elias, before turning back and becoming stranded on Bering Island, where Vitus Bering later died.

In the early 1740’s, Russian fur traders began to sail across the Bering Strait and to Alaska and the Aleutian Islands in search of valuable otter pelts. Eventually, the traders established trading posts, which over time became permanent settlements. As more and more Russians began hunting in Alaska, they became more and more dependent on the native Aleuts, as they had the necessary skills to hunt and trap otter. Many Russian traders would hold entire villages hostage, and force the Aleuts to bring them otter and other animal furs to sell. Over time, many of the same traders would turn to enslaving the Aleuts as competition increased between the trading companies. These acts of violence were not universally approved, as groups of traders did manage to coexist peacefully with the Aleuts. Catherine the Great herself wished goodwill toward the Aleuts and proclaimed her subjects were to treat them fairly, although this was largely ignored.

In 1799, Catherine’s son Tsar Paul I officially claimed the territory for the Russian Empire in the Ukase of 1799. The Ukase formally created the state-sponsored Russian-American Company, (although the United America Company owned a controlling interest) and gave it a monopoly over trade in Alaska. This also helped to increase the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church In the region. In the later Ukase of 1821 made by Tsar Alexander I, Russia expanded its claim all the way to 45° north (south of the mouth of the Columbia River) although after an international protest this was decreased to 51° north (about the northern tip of Vancouver Island.)

Throughout the 19th century, Russian trading began to decline in the territory. British and American hunters encroached on the Russian territory, and rival traders were granted legitimate charters to hunt, trap, and trade in areas surrounding Russian America. The Russians also only had about a thousand settlers in Alaska, and they mostly stuck to the coastline. A mix of mostly trappers and Orthodox missionaries, they were not well equipped to fully control their territory, although they were mostly focused on generating revenue and converting the Native Alaskans to Russian Orthodoxy rather than completely controlling the Russian territory.

By the 1860’s, Russia accepted that their economic gains from the territory were not worth the expense of maintaining their settlements. As a result, they put the territory up for sale. In 1867, the United States agreed to buy Russian America for a sum of $7.2 million ($120 million in 2013 dollars). The purchase was widely ridiculed in the US, but gold and later oil was soon found in the territory. The former Russian America is today the US state of Alaska.

Although it was not as successful as other European colonies, the Russian colonization of North America is still evident. In addition to their holdings in Alaska, Russia also briefly held several bases in the Kingdom of Hawaii, including Fort Elizabeth. The southernmost Russian settlement on the mainland was Fort Ross in modern-day California, ninety miles north of San Francisco Bay. Both the Russian River and the city of Fort Ross were named after the original Russian fort. Sitka, Alaska, was originally the capital of Russian America, Novo Arkhangelsk. Many other cities were also originally Russian settlements. Religiously, Russian Orthodoxy is still present in Alaska (especially among native communities) and churches built by the missionaries can still be seen. Lastly, a few Russian surnames have been passed down in areas near former Russian settlements.

Russia’s colonization of the Americas did not have quite as big of an impact as other European nations, but it still played a role in making America today.