Alaska's Russian Past: 1732–1867

Alaska was a Russian colony from 1732 to 1867.

Russian America

• 1732: First Russian sighting (Fyodorov/Gvozdev)
• 1741: Bering/Chirikov expedition — sea otter pelts spark fur rush
• 1784: First permanent settlement — Three Saints Bay, Kodiak (Grigory Shelikhov)
• 1799: Russian-American Company (RAC) chartered — monopoly on trade/governance
• 1804: Novo-Arkhangelsk (Sitka) becomes capital
• 1812: Fort Ross, California (southern outpost)
• 1821–1824: Treaties with US/UK set boundaries (54°40'N, 141°W)

Sale to United States

• 1867 (March 30): Treaty signed — $7.2M (2¢/acre)
• October 18, 1867: Formal transfer at Sitka
• Motivations: RAC unprofitable; Crimean War vulnerability; US expansionism (Seward); Russia focused on Amur/Primorsky

Legacy

• Orthodox Christianity (80+ churches, ~15% Native Alaskan)
• Place names: Sitka, Kodiak, Unalaska, Nikolski, Russian Mission
• Aleut/Alutiiq culture shaped by Russian period
• "Seward's Folly" → strategic WWII/Cold War asset → 49th state (1959)