Russians urge governor to save Fort Ross STATE PARK CLOSURES: Fort Ross

The fort is shaped like a square with a high redwood fence circling the chapel and buildings. Fort Ross, a state park on the coast of California, is slated for closing. The former Russian outpost is getting support from politicians and even the Russian government to keep it open to the public. less The fort is shaped like a square with a high redwood fence circling the chapel and buildings. Fort Ross, a state park on the coast of California, is slated for closing. The former Russian outpost is getting ... more Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Russians urge governor to save Fort Ross 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

The Russians came back to Fort Ross on Thursday nearly two centuries after founding the coastal California settlement, but instead of spearing otters, they want to preserve a legacy.

Stunned upon learning that California might close Fort Ross, the Russian government dispatched its ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak, to urge Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to save the picturesque wooden outpost from the state's budget guillotine.

"It's not my job to tell the government of California what to do with its budget," he said while touring the fort-turned-park Thursday. "But this place is wonderful proof that the U.S. and Russia have had a very rich, largely positive shared history. We would like to see it remain open."

The ambassador stopped short of offering cash to maintain the fort, which loses about $800,000 annually. No decisions will be made, he said, until the state releases its closure list.

"But one can begin thinking of creating ways to save this place," he said.

A spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger welcomed the Russian intervention.

"The governor understands that the budget cuts to state parks are difficult," said Lisa Page, spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger.

"We are open to any creative ideas they (the Russians) may have, like public-private partnerships, to keep as many parks open as possible."

As many as 100 California state parks will be closed as part of a deal signed by the governor last month to close a $24 billion state budget deficit. The state plans to announce after Labor Day which parks will close, and Fort Ross is apparently on the list.

Meeting of dignitaries

The Russian ambassador visited the park with the Russian consul general from San Francisco, Vladimir Vinokurov, state park officials and other dignitaries.

Kislyak thanked California for its century of stewardship of the windswept fort, and he pleaded with the governor to spare the site, which he said holds significant cultural, historic and sentimental value for the Kremlin, Russians and Russian Americans.

Fort Ross was built in 1812 by Russian traders, hoping to grow food for Russian settlements in Alaska, trade with the Spanish in California, and collect otter pelts to sell at home and in China.

Russian settlement

At its peak, the settlement included a few hundred Russians, native Alaskans who accompanied them and local American Indians. The busy settlement overlooking the Pacific included a Russian Orthodox chapel, orchards, a stockade, cannons and dozens of homes.

In 1841, after the otter population had dwindled to nearly nothing and farming efforts had failed, the Russians sold the fort to John Sutter, who moved the livestock and some supplies to his own fort near Sacramento. The fort and its 3,300-acre environs were then used as a ranch until the 1970s.

The state bought the remaining fort buildings in 1903 as a historic park, gradually acquiring the surrounding land from the ranchers, the Call family, and rebuilding the structures that had rotted, burned or crumbled. The only original building is the Rotchev House, a former manager's home with 8-inch-thick walls made of old-growth redwood.

In its heyday, Fort Ross was the height of luxury, said Sarjan Holt, administrator for the Fort Ross Interpretive Association. The fort included pianos, wood-burning stoves from Russia, elegant furniture and glass windows - a far cry from the more rustic accommodations at the Spanish missions.

Global destination

"The Russians who came here were well educated and cultured," she said. "The history, the culture here, makes it a very important destination, not just for California but internationally."

About 200,000 people visit Fort Ross each year, many of them Russians seeking signs of an earlier Russian foray into California. The park is the 77th most visited in California.

Visitors on Tuesday said they wouldn't mind if the Russian government helped keep Fort Ross open.

"If they want to give us foreign aid, so what?" said Wanda Eberle, a retiree from Virginia. "We can give them free admission when they come."