Russian settlement was one of first European Settlements along the northern coast
by Brian Leubitz
Fort Ross is really quite beautiful, in any number of ways. The location is stunningly picturesque along the Sonoma Coast. The restored Russian buildings are an interesting sight, and park system has done a great job with it. This post isn’t really all that political, other than the fact that Ft. Ross is occasionally slated for closure on various lists.
I’ll spare you the full historical details, you can find much of that information here, but briefly I’ll tell you that 200 years ago, in 1812, the Russians settled a small bay in order to extend their Alaskan holdings. That settlement eventually became Fort Ross, an ultimately unsuccessful venture that was sold to John Sutter in 1841. Over the years, the area has been many things, and the history is just fascinating.
If you happen to be on the Sonoma Coast (and you really should make it your business to be on the Sonoma Coast sometime in the very near future), stop at Fort Ross. And thanks to Sen. Noreen Evans for reminding me that this was the 200th anniversary.
trips for local schoolchildren. I was fortunate to spend an overnight there with our 4th graders, one of the highlights of my life for sure. All the kids took on the role of someone who lived in the Fort at one time, and they all learned about a different aspect of Fort life.
Firing the cannon was pretty sweet too. Our guide took pains to point out that firing the cannon without a cannonball was in fact historically accurate, because it was mostly fired out of celebration, boredom, or general noisemaking. We know exactly how many times it was fired and when, because one of the clerks wrote grumpy letters back to Russia with regular tallies and accounts of each firing, angry about the wasted gunpowder. 🙂
It was a wonderful program, and I thank everyone who contributes to it and makes it possible.