Several years ago, while working as a film director in Russia, I sailed to the coast of Alaska to do a television project. Little did I suspect that so many discoveries on the North American continent came about as a result of my compatriots’ work. I did not expect to find numerous Russian names on Alaska’s map. We sailed near the islands of Pribalov, Krinitsin, Kudobin, Chiganov, Kupriyanov, Baranof, Wrangel, Lisiy, and Adimiralteistvo. The city of Sitka, originally named Novo-Arkhangel’sk, served as the capital of the Russian America. On my voyage, I learned many interesting stories about early exploration of Alaska and the joining of Russian-American frontiers. What surprised me the most in the efforts to colonize Alaska was the remarkable contribution of Russian women.
From among the heroic women to explore North America Natalia Alekseyevna Shelekhova, wife to famous sailor Grigoriy Shelekhov, particularly stands out. When she met her husband-to-be, who was then working as an estate administrator, Natalia Alekseyevna was a rich and sweet-looking widow from the city of Irkutsk. As she was marrying Grigoriy, “a man of great talent and courage,” Natalia had no idea that she would give away her entire fortune for her husband’s endeavors in the New World. The possibility of actually coming to Alaska thousands of miles away from home seemed even more remote and unrealistic to the young bride. She bravely stood by her husband through the dreadful cold and the strong storms. Along with the Russian men, Natalia lived in winter settlements that were near inhospitable Indian, Aleut, and Eskimo lands. She suffered through the lack of food and water. She was unusually fearless for a woman. Natalia Alekseyevna was not only the first Russian woman to set foot on Aleuts’ Islands; she was the first white woman that came to Alaska. After Grogoriy Shelekhov died, Natalia went on to realize his dreams. It was in large part thanks to her efforts that the Russian-American Company received its 20-year charter from Tsar Paul I. The Russian Emperor accorded nobility status to Shelekhova and her children.
Yekaterina (Catherine) Prohorovna Kuskova was the wife of Ivan Kuskov, the founder of Fort Ross. For more than 30 years, Catherine painstakingly labored in the Russian America, side by side with her husband. In her time, Fort Ross was a prosperous settlement with good shipyards, smith shops, and warehouses. Agricultural and hunting trades were similarly well-developed. Fort Ross also had a church with a school for the children of the officers stationed in Alaska. Catherine Kuskova’s educational talent allowed her to bring the ideals of enlightment to the local Indians. She quickly learned to speak their language and started a special school for them. Classes were taught in two languages – the native tongue of the indigenous people and Russian. The Indians had a good relationship with Mrs. Kuskova. Her diplomacy helped improve their attitude towards the Russians. The aborigines no longer viewed the settlers as intruders and stopped their resistance movement.
The Russians came to be regarded as high authority. Once, the Indians elected a Russian industrialist Prohor Egorov the chief of their tribe. The locals included many Russian words into their language, such as moloko (milk), poroh (powder), pshenitsa (wheat), vino (wine), lozhka (spoon), koshka (cat), yabloko (apple), etc. These words, used up to the present day, reflect the influence of Catherine Kuskova. In addition to teaching the Indians, Catherina founded a school for the Aleuts and the Creoles with a similar bi-lingual education format. Russian culture was widely embraced by the Aleuts. One of the tribesmen, Petr Chuganak converted to Orthodox Christianity and later became a church martyr, as he was tortured to death by Spanish Jesuits.
Another bright star of the Russian community in America was Elena Rotcheva, also married to a Fort Ross governor. The Rotchevs were highly educated people and their enlightenend vision impacted everyone at the Fort. Elena Rotcheva, Countess Gagarina by birth, was a very beautiful and marvelous woman. She tried to civilize the lives of the settlers. Upon her initiative, a large library was created at Fort Ross, where the governor’s wife herself regularly conducted poetry and music soirées. Through her cross-cultural collaborative endeavors, Elena eased the tension between Russia and Spain – the Spanish frequently came to visit the Rotchevs. As a result of such diplomacy, the Russians started to trade with Spain very actively. The Spaniards bought Russian ships, tools, and weapons. Russian tailors made their military uniforms. The Russian, in their turn, bought wheat and other agricultural products from their Spanish comrades.
Elena Rotcheva was also inquisitive and daring. She was not afraid of riding a horse. She carefully studied the lifestyle of the Indians and continued what Catherine Kuskova started. To advance ethnographic research on the North American continent, Elena Rotcheva attracted bright men of science to Alaska. She organized an expedition into the depth of the American continent in the summer of 1848. The expedition, in which Rotcheva and her husband took part, also included two Russian scientists – Voznesenskiy and Cherniyh – and several industrialists. On their journey, the group ascended Mayacmas mountains and named them Mount St. Helena.
The expedition, however, almost ended in disaster. Once the group came down from the mountains, the Indians, headed by their Chief Solano, attacked the Russians. The romantic legend surrounding those events has it that Chief Solano fell in love with Elena and wanted her for himself. Solano was a total antithesis to Elena: he was 7 feet tall and bear-like. The Russians spent one day at the Indian camp, before they were finally liberated by Spanish cavalry under the command of General Valleilo.
Elizaveta Vasileyevna Wrangel was the number one first lady of the Russian America. Elizaveta was married to the legendary explorer and sailor Baron Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel, who completed two journeys across the world. From 1830 to 1835, Wrangel governed Russia’s North American colonies. When she and her husband came to the capital of the Russian America Novo-Arkhangel’sk, Elizaveta was only 20 years old. Thanks to her high culture, communicativeness, and endlessly joyful mood, Elizaveta was able to bring happiness into the rough lives of the colonists. Everyone from high-ranking military officers and government administrators to merchants and Tlinkit Indians loved her. She helped everyone with whatever she could. For the members of Russian aristocracy, Elizaveta organized balls and dinners. Elizaveta Wrangel made sure that medical services in the Russian America were the best. A Russian traveler Vasiliy Zavoiko once wrote of his impressions: “It would not be shameful to relocate the hospital from Alaska to any European city. The hospital, which received much improvement during the governorship of Ferdinand Wrangel, is located in a very nice house and accommodates thirty patients. The wards are well-decorated and clean. The attention the physicians accord to the sick complements the overall perfection of the establishment.”
The historic records that were passed through the ages show that the consumption of alcohol in Novo-Arkhangel’sk was greatly reduced as a result of Elizaveta Wrangel’s work. Restrained drinking helped the Aleuts pay off their debts to the Russians and paved the road for better commercial ties between them and the settlers. Even those Indian chieftains that were customarily hostile towards the Russians forgot their anger as soon as Elizaveta appeared. As historian S. Fedorova writes, because of their convivial relationship with the settlers in Alaska, the Indians started to call the Russian settlers “true white men,” not just “white men” as they called other Europeans.
Many more Russian women shaped early Russian America. Natalia Vanner, wife of the Kadyak Company’s administrator, organized an educational establishment for Creole girls in 1802. Margarita Etolin also gave her soul to the cause of colonizing the Russian frontier. Countess Mariya Maksutova, wife to the last Russian governor, enjoyed tremendous popularity in Alaska and was called guardian angel by the locals. Countess Makustova made such a commitment to helping the people in the colonies that she could not bear the news of Alaska’s sale to the United States. When the Russian flag was being lowered for the last time, she fainted and fell onto the snowy ground.