142 Alaskan Science Conference 



government wished to encourage expansion in the Pacific area. 

 Kerner, however, maintains that Russia was not interested in 

 expansion in the early 1800's but, rather, in regaining the Amur 

 River valley from China for commercial reasons (Ref. 12, 

 passim). In addition, Russian communications with Kodiak 

 were difficult enough over the 6900 miles from Leningrad to 

 the island without adding 750 miles more to Sitka and still 

 another 1400 miles to Fort Ross. Nevertheless, Baranof favored 

 expansion. The founding of the California colony (by Rezanof) 

 fit Baranof's desires although the fort was intended, and served, 

 to prevent starvation of the Russians in Alaska. Finally, it was 

 from Fort Ross that Baranof's deputy made an abortive attempt 

 to establish a settlement on the Hawaiian Islands (fig. 1). 



Russian American villages or forts were always on water 

 (fig. 4). Usually they were on the coast rather than inland. Also, 

 the predominant function was fur purchasing in the settlements 

 founded before 1830 in Southern and Southeastern Alaska. 

 Exceptions, like Yakutat, were stated to be agricultural centers. 

 To continue this practice is to use a classification employed by 

 Baranof merely to secure more men from Russia. It is doubtful 

 whether any Alaskan settlement established between 1784 and 

 1830 was truly agricultural. Certainly, however, at least the 

 more significant centers, shown as solid symbols on figure 4, were 

 founded as permanent centers and have remained such. Also, 

 some of them were multi-functional rather than only fur-pur- 

 chasing centers. 



About 40 per cent of the villages which Russians founded in 

 this first period of settlement no longer exist. Most of these had 

 a maximum white population of less than 10 people. Also, each 

 of the abandoned sites was in a location of little value to later 

 white settlement. 



The total number of whites in Russian America during this 

 period was less than in the time of the promyshleniki (Refs. 4, 

 6, 8, 9, 10, and 14, passim). In 1786 a few more than 150 Russian 

 inhabitants were known to be there and two years later 422 

 were reported in the six newly-founded places. As time passed 

 the number of settlements increased while the Russian popula- 



