Russia meets Alaska - Module IV

Essential Question:

What is the legacy of the Russian Colonization of Alaska?

Anchorage Russian Orthodox Church.  Courtesy of blogs.fanbox.com

Perhaps one of the most visible remaining signs of Russia's involvement with Alaska is the Russian Orthodox church.  Located primarily in southcentral and southeast Alaska, these amazing structures are a constant reminder of our earlier beginnings.  Content from this module paints a friendly picture of the relationship between the early Russian Orthodox missionairies and the Alaska Native populations they encountered. 



Courtesy of Google Images



An excerpt taken from the website Alaska:  History and Cultural Studies, explains that the tsar in St. Petersburg at the time supported the fair treatment of the natives and even scolded his own Gregorii Shelikhov when he mixed it up with the natives of Kodiak Island when he settled there.  This fair treatment that the church showed the Natives is the primary reason why the religion flourished and, ultimately, remains part of our culture today.

Examine Question:

Why were the Russians interested in Alaska?
Russia's involvement with Alaska was an inevitable endeavor because of it's geographical location on the map.  Because of the close proximity of the two land masses, their inhabitants we're bound to interact with each other.  The eastward expansion across Asia and, eventually, the bering strait, was supported originally by Peter the Great and encouraged later trips by Vitus Bering in the 1720's and early 1740's.  Russia's increasing awareness of the global pursuit of resources from new lands helped finance these trips so that they could settle in before countries like Spain, England, and France.


Russia was already in the fur trade business when it discovered the abundant resources Alaska had to offer so it didn't take long for fur traders to locate and settle in advantageous spots located primarily in southcentral Alaska.  Ultimately, it was the exquisite, and much softer pelt of the sea otter's found around Kodiak that accelerated the Russian expansion to Alaska.


Of course, logging, mining, and fishing we're also tried in Alaska by the Russians but didn't amount to much profit and once the amount of pelt-producing animals started to decrease and wars in other countries started to deplete their bank account, Russia viewed Alaska as more of a liability and jumped at the chance at selling it to America in what is now referred to as Seward's Folly.