Clash of Cultures & the Discovery of Gold      123456

Securing Land for the Fort

Ivan Kuskov, a trusted deputy of colonial leader Alexander Baranov, was selected to lead the expeditions along the California coast. In 1811 Kuskov selected a site about 80 miles north of San Francisco Bay. The land was occupied by the Kashaya band of the Pomo Indians. The Russians traded the Pomos tools, clothing, and beads for the land, and settlement began in early spring 1812. Fort Ross was built as a military structure because the Russians feared that the Spanish colonists would dislike the Russian presence in Spanish-claimed territory. In the end, the Russians had nothing to fear because the fort was never attacked by the Spanish.

The First Colonists and Their Impact on the Sonoma Coast

The first colonists included 25 Russians, mostly men, and 80 Aleuts, or Alaskan natives. Records Show that several marriages took place between Russian men and Aleut and Kashaya women. One visitor to Fort Ross in 1828 estimated that about 220 individuals were living there: approximately 60 Russians, 80 Aleuts, and 80 Kashaya Pomo.

Compared with the Spanish, the Russian colonists had little impact on the local Indian population. The Spanish forced the Indians to become Catholic and adopt western ways of life. The Russians traded goods to the Indians for help with cattle ranching, agriculture, and trapping of sea otters. Still, the Russians, along with the Spanish and the British, did great damage to the local environment by depleting the sea otter population.