Shelikhov Grigory Ivanovich what he discovered. Grigory Shelikhov
In the 80s of the XVIII century, there were already several Russian settlements on the northwestern coast of America. They were founded by Russian industrialists who, hunting for fur-bearing animals and fur seals, undertook long voyages along Sea of Okhotsk and northern part Pacific Ocean. However, the industrialists did not yet have a fully conscious goal to found Russian colonies. For the first time this idea arose from the enterprising merchant Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov. Understanding the economic importance of coasts and islands North America, which were famous for their fur wealth, G. I. Shelikhov, this Russian Columbus, as the poet G. R. Derzhavin later called him, decided to attach them to Russian possessions.
G. I. Shelikhov was from Rylsk. As a young man, he went to Siberia in search of "happiness". Initially, he served as a clerk for the merchant I. L. Golikov, and then became his shareholder and partner. Possessing great energy and far-sightedness, Shelikhov persuaded Golikov to send ships "to the Alaska land called America, to the known and unknown islands for the production of fur trade and all sorts of searches and the establishment of voluntary bargaining with the natives." In company with Golikov, Shelikhov built the ship "St. Paul" and in 1776 set off for the shores of America. After spending four years at sea, Shelikhov returned to Okhotsk with a rich cargo of furs totaling at least 75 thousand rubles at the prices of that time.
To implement his plan for the colonization of the islands and coast of North America, Shelikhov, together with I. L. Golikov and M. S. Golikov, organizes a company for the exploitation of these territories. special attention companies were attracted by the island of Kodiak with its fur riches. At the end of the 18th and at the beginning of the 19th centuries (from 1784 to 1804), this island became the main center of Russian colonization of the Pacific coast of North America. During his second expedition, begun in 1783 on the galliot "Three Saints", Shelikhov lived for two years on this island, the largest of the islands adjacent to the coast of Alaska. On this island, Shelikhov founded a harbor named after his ship, the Harbor of the Three Hierarchs, and also erected fortifications. 
A small fortification was built on the island of Afognak. Shelikhov also got acquainted with the coast of Alaska, visited Kenyoke Bay and visited a number of islands surrounding Kodiak.
In 1786 Shelikhov returned from his voyage to Okhotsk, and in 1789 to Irkutsk.
The news of his activities off the American coast and the founding of colonies there reached Catherine II, on whose call he went to St. Petersburg.
Catherine II perfectly understood the significance of Shelikhov's activities and received him very favorably. Returning to Irkutsk, Shelikhov equips two ships to explore the Kuril Islands and the coast of America and instructs their commanders, navigators Izmailov and Bocharov "to assert the power of Her Majesty in all newly discovered points." During these expeditions, a description of the North American coast from the Chugatsky Bay to the Ltua Bay was made and it was compiled. detailed map. At the same time, the network of Russian settlements off the coast of America is expanding. The head of the Russian colony, left by Shelikhov, Delarov, founded a number of settlements on the shores of Kenai Bay.
Shelikhov, with his various activities, sought to expand and strengthen the network of Russian settlements in Kodiak and the Aleutian Islands.
He developed a number of projects to bring the Russian colonies into a "decent form". Shelikhov instructed his manager Baranov to find appropriate place on the coast of the American mainland to build a city, which he intended to call "Slavorossia".
Shelikhov opened Russian schools on Kodiak and other islands and tried to teach crafts and agriculture to local residents, Tlingit Indians, or koloshes, as the Russians called them. For this purpose, at the initiative of Shelikhov, twenty Russian exiles, who knew various crafts, and ten peasant families were sent to Kodiak.
In 1794, Shelikhov organized a new "Northern Company", one of the main goals of which was the establishment of Russian colonies on the coast of Alaska.
After the death of Shelikhov (in 1795), his activities to expand Russian colonization off the coast of Alaska and exploit its wealth were continued by the Kargopol merchant Baranov. Baranov turned out to be no less persistent and enterprising leader of the new Russian colonies than Shelikhov himself, and continued the work begun by Shelikhov to expand and strengthen Russian possessions on the northwestern shores of America.
) - Russian merchant, participant and co-owner of merchant fishing companies, founder of Russian America, initiator of the creation.
G.I. Shelikhov: encyclopedic reference
Born in the family of a Rylsk merchant. He was educated at home and early joined the commercial activities. Having met the wealthy merchants Golikovs, he arrived in 1773. At first he worked as a clerk for I. L. Golikov, but the following year he organized his own business in a company with the Yakut merchant P. Lebedev-Lastochkin. After his marriage in 1775, he organized several trading and fishing companies one after another. In 1781, with the merchants Golikovs, he organized the Northeast Company for fur trade in the Aleutian Islands and off the coast of North America. In 1784 he founded the first Russian settlement on about. Kodiak, thus laying the foundation for Russian America. Upon his return to Russia in 1791, he published his notes, which speak of the need to expand the scale of Russian advancement in the Pacific region.
Works by Grigory Shelikhov
- Russian merchant Grigory Shelikhov wandering from Okhotsk along the Eastern Ocean to the American shores. - Khabarovsk, 1971.
Irkutsk. Historical and local lore dictionary. - Irkutsk: Sib. book, 2011
Founding of the first colonies
In mid-August 1783, Shelikhov set off for Alaska with three ships and a crew of 192 people. A month later, upon arrival at New World, having lost one of the ships, the expedition reached the island of Unalaska. Russian fur merchants who had already visited these places dissuaded Shelikhov from founding settlements here, since shortly before that locals killed a whole group of Russian hunters. However, Shelikhov did not listen to them and founded the first settlement on Kodiak Island. The colonization of the mainland was postponed for security reasons.
Shelikhov intended not to give the local Eskimos the slightest pretext for hostile actions, wishing to make them Russian subjects not through fear, but by kindness and for their own benefit. He received the first who dared to visit the Russian settlement, very friendly, fed and bestowed with gifts. However, unfortunately for the Russians, a solar eclipse occurred during the visit. The inhabitants of the island were very frightened and took this as an unkind divine sign. The following night, they attacked the Russian camp, which, despite superior weapons, was only able to repel the onslaught with difficulty. The next morning with neighboring island boats filled with warriors began to approach, going to the aid of the Kodiak Eskimos. It was clear that the Russians would not be able to resist this overwhelming force for long. Therefore, Shelikhov gave the order to bombard the settlement of the natives with cannons, after which hundreds of them immediately surrendered out of fear of unknown weapons. The most militant Shelikhov ordered to be executed. The rest had to leave their children as hostages and were set free. These children were brought up with Russian children, went to school and learned Russian. Despite the difficulties, the Russians eventually managed to establish peaceful relations with the Indians.
Shelikhov controlled the construction from 1790. In 1781, Shelikhov founded the Northeast Company, which in 1799 was transformed into the Russian-American Trading Company.
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Since 1775, he was engaged in the arrangement of commercial merchant shipping between the Kuril and Aleutian island ridges.
In 1783-86 he led an expedition to Russian America, during which the first Russian settlements in North America were founded. Founder of the North East Company.
A life
Born in the city of Rylsk, Kursk province, in a wealthy merchant family. Shelekhov was a smart and brisk boy, at an early age, on behalf of his father, he began trading relations with Siberian business executives. His parents died by the age of 28, and he decided to move to Siberia forever.
Shelekhov's companions, merchants who traded in Siberia, were already establishing routes to the islands in the Pacific Ocean, where the sea beaver was found in abundance. Some have been fortunate enough to bring ships from the fur trade on the islands and make a significant profit. Their experience inspired Grigory Ivanovich, and he went to Kamchatka, where, with a local merchant, he equipped his first ship for the skins of beavers, arctic foxes and fur seals, which returned in 1780 with a large load of furs.
In 1777, Shelekhov sent a ship to the Kuriles and to the shores of Japan for the same purpose. He sent the next expedition to the Aleutian Islands. During the latter, his navigator Pribylov discovered islands unknown before that, which were named after the navigator.
In mid-August 1783, Shelikhov entered into partnership with the Golikov brothers, with whom he went to the shores of Alaska on three ships, the crew of which was 192 people. A month later, having passed the Bering Island, they arrived in the New World, having lost one of the ships ("St. Michael"), made a stop on the island of Unalashka.
On July 22, 1784, the expedition landed on the island of Kodiak (Kyktak) in the harbor, which Shelekhov called Three Saints. Here he founded the first settlement. Russian fur merchants who had already visited these places dissuaded Shelikhov from establishing settlements here, since not long before this, local residents had killed a whole group of Russian hunters. However, Shelikhov did not listen to them and founded the first settlement on Kodiak Island. The colonization of the mainland was postponed for security reasons.
Gregory, along with his people, staged a massacre of the local population, killing from 500 to 2500 Eskimos, in response to the armed resistance that turned out to be the Russians who had arrived earlier (and Shelikhov himself). After the massacre, Shelikhov captured more than a thousand people.
Shelikhov controlled the construction from 1790. In 1791, Shelikhov founded the Northeast Company, which in 1799 was transformed into the Russian-American Trading Company. In 1788 he was awarded a gold medal and a silver sword "for the discovery of islands in the Eastern Ocean."
He died on July 20 (31), 1795 in Irkutsk, was buried on the territory of the Znamensky Monastery. In connection with the placement of the Irkutsk hydroport on the territory of the monastery in the 1930s, his grave was damaged, but the articles of the writer Isaac Goldberg drew attention to this situation. Shelikhov's grave is a historical monument of federal significance.
After the death of Shelikhov, his son-in-law, Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov, inherited his considerable fortune and place at the head of the North-Eastern Company.
In the history of Russian penetration into the Aleutian Islands and the northwestern part of the American mainland, now called Alaska, Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov certainly holds the most honorable place.
Of course, even before Shelikhov, dozens of brave Russian explorers, "industrial" and merchants, plowed the waters of the Pacific Ocean on their fragile ships, landed on the Kuril and Aleutian Islands, hunted for fur-bearing animals and then returned with ships filled with rich booty. But only Shelikhov came up with the idea (which he put into practice) not only to make hunting expeditions, so to speak, raids on the islands, but also to organize permanent bases on them, from which then regularly send hunting expeditions. The establishment of such bases laid the foundation for Russian colonies in America, and this is the merit of Shelikhov, who immortalized his name on the pages of Russian history.
Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov was born in 1747 into a poor merchant family in the city of Rylsk, Kursk province. It seems that in childhood and youth Shelikhov heard enough stories about fabulous fur riches. Eastern Siberia and about the bold sea voyages of fearless discoverers who were looking for new lands abounding in fur-bearing animals in the vast expanses of the "Eastern" ocean.
As an adult, Shelikhov made acquaintance with the wealthy Kursk merchant Golikov, and in 1773, having secured a letter of recommendation from Golikov to his relative, a successful Irkutsk merchant, Shelikhov left Rylsk and went to Siberia. He was then 26 years old.
Irkutsk was in those days the most significant city in Eastern Siberia, there was the office and residence of the East Siberian governor, who was then Jacobi. Arriving in Irkutsk, Shelikhov entered the company of a relative of his patron, a wealthy merchant I. L. Golikov, who became rich not only in the fur trade, but also because he was the owner of drinking fees in the Irkutsk province.
The uninteresting service of the clerk did not last long. The impetus for Shelikhov's entry into the wide trading arena was his marriage in 1775 to a wealthy widow, Natalya Alekseevna, who later shared with him all the hardships of sea travel to distant American shores, which brought them wealth and fame.
Immediately after his marriage, Shelikhov left the service of Golikov and went to a small seaport Okhotsk, from which he began to send expeditions for fur-bearing animals to the Kuril and Aleutian Islands. At the same time, he organizes several trading companies one after another.
For five years, from 1776 to 1781, Shelikhov managed to equip and send ten ships to distant lands. Moreover, in two cases he became a partner of his former master Golikov. One of these expeditions was sent in 1779, when Shelikhov, in company with the merchants Golikov and Sibiryakov, equipped the ship "John the Baptist" for fishing in the Aleutian Islands. Although Shelikhov was the main organizer of the expedition, Golikov gave the main part of the capital to the expedition, so that Golikov owned 56 shares in the transaction, Sibiryakov - 5 and Shelikhov - 4. "John the Baptist" safely returned to Okhotsk in 1785 and delivered the fur owners to 63417 rubles.
Usually in those days, companies were formed for only one trip, and after the return of the ship with the cargo, the income was divided among the shareholders and the company broke up. Shelikhov decided to organize something larger and more permanent.
In 1781, Shelikhov suggested to Ivan Golikov that he establish a permanent company for at least ten years, and, if possible, obtain official sanction in St. Petersburg for exclusive rights to industrial and commercial activities on the islands and on the shores of America. Cautious Golikov, after some deliberation, approved Shelikhov's plan. Both merchants went to St. Petersburg, where on August 17, 1781 they formed a new North-Eastern Company, which was joined by Ivan Golikov's nephew Captain Mikhail Golikov. The purpose of this permanent company was to conduct fur trade in the Aleutian Islands and off the coast of North America. To the great disappointment of her partners, Empress Catherine II refused to grant them monopoly rights.
Returning to Okhotsk, Shelikhov immediately laid down three galliot ships at his own shipyard. The Goliots were completed in 1783, and on August 16 of the same year, the Shelikhov-Golikov flotilla left Okhotsk on its historic voyage to the shores of America.
The galliots were called "Three Saints", "Simeon and Anna" and "St. Michael". On the first one, Shelikhov himself set off on a dangerous journey, together with his brave wife Natalya Alekseevna. The goal of the expedition was to reach the large island of Kodiak, which lies in close proximity to Alaska.
On the ships, not counting the crew, there were 192 "industrial", most of which were supposed to settle on the islands, where the construction of permanent bases was planned.
The journey to Kodiak Island across the stormy ocean lasted almost a year, and only on August 3, 1784 did the Shelikhovs arrive at their destination. Shelikhov spent the winter on Bering Island, where the travelers stayed from September 14 until June of the following year.
On Kodiak, Shelikhov founded a village and built a fortress, and then also fortified Afognak. The Russian "industrial" with Shelikhov at the head spent two winters on Kodiak, and only by the summer of 1786 did Shelikhov decide that his task was completed, and he poisoned himself on his way back.
By the time of his departure, permanent settlements and fortresses were already on Afognak and on the Kenai Peninsula. Artels of the company settled along the shores of bays and bays. People lived in solid huts, often surrounded by a palisade.
Shelikhov and his wife set off on the return journey on May 22, 1786 on the galliot "Three Saints", taking with them only 12 Russian "industrial" and 40 Eskimos. On July 30, the travelers reached the first Kuril Island, and soon after that they reached the mouth of the Bolshoi River in Kamchatka. In America, Shelikhov left K. A. Samoilov as ruler with 163 Russian "industrial" pioneers of the first Russian villages in Alaska.
Shelikhov left the ruler with the task not only to hunt for furs, but also "to act by settling Russian artels to reconcile the Americans and glorify the Russian state in the cleared land of America and California." These tasks, especially in relation to California, remained unfulfilled for 26 years, and only in 1812, Fort Ross was founded by I. Kuskov in California.
At the beginning of 1787, Shelikhov returned to Okhotsk, and from there he went to Irkutsk, where he hoped, with the help of Governor General Jacobi, to obtain permission from the government to continue the business he had begun in America on a monopoly basis. Shelikhov outlined these grandiose plans of his in a memorandum to Governor Jacobi, describing in detail the trip to the Aleutian Islands and Alaska and attaching maps to it. 1791 Shelikhov's "Note" was published in St. Petersburg under the title "The Russian merchant of the eminent Rylsk citizen Grigory Shelikhov, the first wandering from 1783 to 1787 from Okhotsk along the Eastern Ocean to the American shores."
Shelikhov's plans were truly grandiose. He intended to send ships from Okhotsk or Kamchatka to Chinese ports for trade with the Chinese instead of trading in Kyakhta, which was stopped due to diplomatic complications with China. Moreover, he planned to open trade with the English East India Company. This required a lot of government support.
In February 1783, Shelikhov and Ivan Golikov went to St. Petersburg, where they turned directly to the Empress with a request for financial support, and most importantly, for granting monopoly rights to their company. But for all the time that Catherine reigned, they did not succeed in obtaining these rights from her. Catherine, however, noted the work of both figures and on September 28, 1788, awarded them with gold medals and silver swords, and on October 11, 1788, they received letters of commendation from the Empress.
Despite the failures in St. Petersburg, Shelikhov, returning to Irkutsk in 1789, continued to act energetically, helping his villages in America and sending instructions there to expand the company's field of activity. Shelikhov's ships sailed along the American shores and islands and left coats of arms and copper plaques with the inscription "Lands of Russian possession" there.
At the same time, he developed plans to expand trade throughout the Pacific. He intended to trade with the Portuguese in Macau, with Batavia, with the Philippine and Mariana Islands. On the American coast, he ordered the new ruler A. A. Baranov to establish a large Russian colony "Slavorossia", with wide straight streets, to build schools, churches, a museum. For this purpose, he sent a spiritual mission there.
All these plans were not destined to come true during Shelikhov's lifetime. On July 20, 1795, at the age of 48, in the prime of his life, Grigory Shelikhov died suddenly.
Shelikhov's death was mourned by the best people in Russia. The poet Derzhavin wrote poems dedicated to Shelikhov, which are engraved on his monument:
On the other side of the monument, poems by the poet Ivan Dmitriev are engraved:
How kingdoms fell at the feet of Catherine,
Ross Shelikhov without troops, without thunderous forces
Flow to America, through the stormy abysses
And he conquered a new region to Her and God.
Don't forget, son.
That your ancestor Ross was loud in the East too.
Passerby, honor decay in this coffin
Columbus Rossky is buried here.
Shelikhov's activities did not go to waste. His widow Natalya Alekseevna, mainly with the help of her son-in-law, chamberlain Rezanov, managed to achieve from Emperor Paul I what her husband aspired to. On September 8, 1797, Paul I granted the Shelikhov company, called the American United Company, monopoly rights in America. Two years later, the company, renamed "Russian-American", was taken under the highest patronage with the granting of privileges for 20 years. This laid the foundation for the growth and expansion of the company, as well as the spread of Russian influence throughout Alaska and even California for many decades, until the sale of Alaska to the United States of America in 1867.
