Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov research in Siberia. Shelikhov Grigory Ivanovich. G.I. Shelikhov: encyclopedic reference

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On December 11, 7255, the founder of Russian America, the creator of the Russian-American Trade Campaign, the first person to begin exploring Alaska, Grigory Shelekhov, was born.

Russian navigator, founder of Alaska, Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov

The outstanding Russian navigator, merchant, traveler Shelikhov was born on Christmas Eve, on Christmas Day, December 24, 1747 in a new style, in the Siberian city of Rylsk. The ancient Rylsk family of the Shelekhovs traces its ancestry from time immemorial and was engaged in gold mining and fur-bearing animals, recorded in the house book of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich in 1621, and for the transformation of the Rylsk fortress into the richest trading region in the South-West of Russia, Peter I granted this family personalized gilded ladles with deeds of gift inscriptions. One of Peter’s ladles in the shape of a Russian boat was inherited by Grigory Shelikhov, which he kept as a relic, which probably prompted him to travel by sea.

The Rila merchants maintained close business ties with Siberian fishermen, and in 1773, at the age of 26, Grigory went to establish business connections in Irkutsk, where he signed up to serve as a clerk for the merchant Golikov. Two years later, having built a house, in 1775 he married the young widow of a rich merchant, Natalya Alekseevna, but the next year they went with her to Okhotsk, where he developed independent vigorous activity in organizing an expedition to the shores of America to hunt fur-bearing animals there. He simply didn’t know about gold and oil in Alaska at that time.

Already in 1776, Grigory Shelikhov sent his first ship for fur-bearing animals, and from that moment until 1783, ten sea campaigns are known in which the energetic and enterprising Russian merchant from Rylsk took part.

Shelekhov

Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov - Russian navigator, founder of Russian America, creator of the Russian-American Trading Company, the first person to begin exploring Alaska, “Tradition”, born on December 11December

Free Russian Encyclopedia

Other names:, Grigory Ivanovich.

And in 1777 Shelekhov went on an expedition to the Kuril Islands. During his expeditions in the Bering Strait, many new Islands were discovered, one of which was named after his assault on Pribilof.

USSR stamp. Shelikhov. Three Saints Harbor, Kodiak, Alaska. Russian America

So that other Powers do not have time to annex the fertile lands and do not take possession of the profitable islands discovered by them for fur production, the Russian merchant himself creates a shipyard on the Sea of ​​​​Okhotsk for the construction of ships, and builds three more ships. And already in the summer of next year, August 16, 1783 Shelikhov with ships"Three Saints: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom", “Saint Simeon and the “God-Receiver” and “Anna the Prophetess” and “Saint Michael.” is heading to the shores of America to found a Russian fortress there.

On the ships equipped by Shelikhov there were more than 200 “working people” - sailors, trappers and fishermen, stocks of corned beef and barrels of cabbage.

But together with Shelikhov, his wife Natalya Alekseevna and two children also set off on a long voyage. Like Bering’s wife Anna, Natalya Alekseevna decided to share with her husband all the hardships of sea navigation in the harsh, little-explored northern latitudes of the Quiet Ocean. But the Pacific Ocean was not so quiet, in whose honor Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was named the Quiet.

Natalya Alekseevna clearly demonstrated her extraordinary nature during a joint trip with her husband to the shores of North America. On August 16, 1783, from the mouth of the Urak River, located about 20 km from the main Russian Far Eastern port of that era - Okhotsk, she left on three ships - trade and fishing galliots. He himself was on the ship “Three Saints: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom” together with Natalya Alekseevna, who, in his words, “wanted to follow me everywhere and wanted to endure all the difficulties.” During this trip, the Shelikhovs had a daughter, Avdotya.

Stuck in the ice, the expedition spent a harsh winter on an uninhabited island, living directly on the ships, and only in the spring of 1785 the ships Three Saints, St. Michael, and Anna the Prophetess landed on Kodiak Island, having passed the Bering Strait. Here Shelikhov, his wife and team founded a permanent Russian settlement. Having established themselves on Kodiak and having thoroughly studied the coast and interior of the island, they began to explore and develop the coast of the American mainland inland and the adjacent islands, establishing friendly trade mutually beneficial relations with the local residents.

On the coast and islands, arriving Russian entrepreneurs settled down, built fortresses with St. Andrew's flags, put up Orthodox crosses in churches, and everyone already understood that this was serious and these territories belonged to the Russians.

Along with the exploration of the new region, its economic and cultural development was carried out, and the beginning of agriculture and cattle breeding was laid. On Kodiak Island, G.I. Shelikhov established a parochial school for the children of local residents, in which they learned Russian literacy.

During his two years on Kodiak, Shelikhov firmly established himself in the north of the American Continent, now separated from Russia by the Bering Strait. But it was time to think about the affairs left in Siberia, about consolidating their rights with the Siberian administration, about the official recognition of Alaska, Kodiak and other islands adjacent to them as Russian possessions.

And in the spring of the next year, on May 22, 1786, Shelikhov headed to his native shores. In January of the following year he arrived in Okhotsk, three months later - in Irkutsk. Here he presented the Irkutsk Governor-General Jacobi with a description of his journey, a map of the explored lands and plans for fortresses erected to protect against the possible capture of the colony he founded. The governor reported this to St. Petersburg, and Shelikhov was summoned to the Capital.

Shelikhov's services to the Fatherland were undeniable. Catherine II reacted very favorably to Shelekhov’s undertakings and it was proposed to equip two more expeditions to the Far East, and Shelikhov himself was awarded diamonds, a sword and a diploma, which allowed him to continue the work begun to develop new territories and annex them to Russia.

In St. Petersburg, the founder of Russian America was a frequent guest in the house of A.E. Polevoy, the father of the famous writer, publisher and editor of the Moscow Telegraph magazine Nikolai Polevoy. The house of A.E. Polevoy, a man of exceptional energy and enterprise, who lived for forty years in Siberia, was known as one of the most cultured and hospitable houses, it was visited by all travelers, all celebrities who visited Irkutsk, even ambassadors who traveled to China.

Returning to Irkutsk, Shelikhov developed vigorous activity. He asks for government support for his enterprise and develops plans to establish trade relations with Japan, China, India, the Philippines and other countries. He comes up with bold plans to explore Siberia, the Pacific and Arctic oceans. From Irkutsk, Shelikhov leads the life of Alaska, where his people at that time were developing more and more new territories. In 1790-1794, with the participation of Shelikhov, several more merchant companies were organized, thanks to which in 1799 the largest and most famous Russian-American trading company was created throughout the world. Now Russia bears the flag of this company.

In 1789, a book by G. I. Shelikhov was published in St. Petersburg entitled “The Russian merchant Grigory Shelikhov’s wanderings from 1783 to 1787 from Okhotsk along the Eastern Ocean to the American shores and his return to Russia.”

Illustration for Shelikhov’s book “The Russian merchant of the eminent Rylsky citizen Grigory Shelikhov’s first journey from 1783 to 1787 from Okhotsk along the Eastern Ocean to the American shores.” The poems placed under the picture are written by M. V. Lomonosov. Shelekhov

Therefore, having aroused such interest, in the midst of his vigorous activity, at the age of only 48 years, Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov suddenly died on July 20, 1795 in Irkutsk, where he was buried.

In the city on the Angara, near the Znamensky Monastery, on the grave of the brave Russian traveler, there is a pyramidal monument.

In the will of G.I. Shelikhov, it was written to the city of Rylsk to issue 30 thousand rubles for the development of the city.

Therefore, in his homeland in the city of Rylsk, at his insistence, the Shelikhov hospital and the Ascension Church were built on which Shelikhov’s plaque was installed. The following names are named after the merchant Shelekhov: A bay in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, a strait separating Kodiak Island from the Alaska Peninsula, the largest lake in Alaska, the Main Harbor of the Russian City of Alaska and a bay on Kruzov Island. Not far from Irkutsk, over time, a new industrial city of Shelikhov grew up, built with money from the Russian-American Campaign. And secondary school No. 1 in the homeland of the navigator and entrepreneur, the city of Rylsk, bears his name, as well as one of the streets.

On July 20, 1895, the city of Rylsk celebrated the centenary of the death of its outstanding fellow countryman. On this day, flags were hung on public buildings and houses of citizens. A ceremonial meeting of the City Duma was held, at which a report on the life and work of Shelikhov was heard. The State Duma, at the request of the Russian Geographical Society and the Russian Economic Society, decided to build a monument to the great navigator Shelekhov in Rylsk.

Shelikhov's grave in Irkutsk with a cross - a modern view.

On August 24, 1903, its opening took place. On the monument, cast from the old naval cannons of his ships, G. I. Shelikhov is depicted at full height in a noble uniform with a gold medal around his neck and with a sword. On the pedestal there are the words: “Sailed the seas, discovered unknown seas.”

The monument was erected on the cathedral square in front of the entrance to the city garden. Funds for it were collected through all-Russian subscription.

Shelikhov's grave in Irkutsk without a cross in the USSR

The opening of the monument was significant not only for Rylsk, but for all of Russia. The Russian Geographical Society sent its representative to the celebration - the secretary of the society A. A. Dostoevsky. The opening of the monument was reported in the provincial and capital press.

The great Russian poet Gabriel Derzhavin dedicated his poems to the navigator Shelikhov:

"Columbus of Russia is buried here,
Having sailed the seas, discovered unknown countries,
And it’s in vain that everything in the world is decay,
He sent his sail into the heavenly ocean -
Look for mountain, unearthly treasures..."

These words are engraved on the monument to Shelikhov in Irkutsk, on his grave:
And on the other side of the monument there is a poetic epitaph of another author - the poet Ivan Dmitriev:

"As kingdoms fell at Catherine's feet,
Ross Shelikhov without troops, without thunderous forces
Flowed into America through stormy abysses
And he conquered a new region to Her and to God.
Don't forget, descendant,
That Ross - your ancestor - was also loud in the east.
Passer-by, honor the decay in this tomb.

Monument to Shelikhov in Rylsk

Interest in the vigorous activity of the “Russian Columbus” still does not subside, both in Russia and abroad. In 1990, the East Siberian Book Publishing House published Sitnikov’s book “Grigory Shelikhov”. and I am sure that this is not the last book exploring the life of a wonderful Russian man with a capital R, entrepreneur and navigator Grigory Ivanovich Shelekhov.

Even during the life of G.I. Shelikhov On January 24, 1795, his 14-year-old daughter Anna was married to 30-year-old Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov, the son of the chairman of the Irkutsk Conscience Court, Pyotr Gavrilovich Rezanov. Since childhood, Nikolai Petrovich was enrolled in the Izmailovsky Life Guards Regiment, and at the age of 20 he was promoted to the rank of army captain. A few years later he switched to the civilian service, serving in the St. Petersburg Treasury Chamber, in the Military Collegium, and in the Admiralty Collegium. His excellent service was recognized in 1791 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1792, he served in the department of the Cabinet of Her Imperial Majesty under the command of Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, and in January 1794 he was sent from the Empress’s favorite Count Platon Zubov “with personalized dispatches to Irkutsk by courier” to the Irkutsk Governor-General. Both matchmaking and engagement took place there.

Apparently, at first Natalya Alekseevna did not really trust her son-in-law’s business qualities. Favorable and influential Nikita Nikitovich Demidov wrote to her at the end of 1795: “And he, your son-in-law, is not, it seems, a fool, as you describe him.”.

But in the course of joint efforts to defend the interests of the widow and her children regarding the inheritance of the Shelikhov company and the creation of a monopoly Russian-American company (RAC), Natalya Alekseevna most likely changed her mind. N.P. Rezanov, after the death of the Empress, who did not favor the idea of ​​​​creating a monopoly trading company in the Pacific North, and the occupation of the throne by Paul I, managed to defend the interests of the Shelikhov clan. It seems that it was his merit that after the establishment of a unified RAC and the granting of significant rights and privileges to it, the imperial decree determined that a representative of the Shelikhov family must necessarily be one of the four directors of the company.

On December 2, 1799, the supreme rule in St. Petersburg over the RAC, according to the decree of Paul I, passed to N.P. Rezanov, who became the main confidant of the company at court in St. Petersburg. Apparently, N.P. played a significant role. Rezanov that in November 1797 a decree should be issued on the elevation of “the widow and children of citizen Shelikhov for the merits of their husband and father to the dignity of nobility, granting them the right to conduct trade.”

But closer to Shelikhov’s wife, Natalya Alekseevna, is her second son-in-law - Veliky Ustyug merchant Mikhail Matveevich Buldakov, one of the richest and most famous fur dealers (later corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, court adviser). He was a capable organizer, participated in the preparation of several circumnavigations, including the 1st Russian circumnavigation expedition of I.F. Krusenstern and Yu.F. Lisyansky, after receiving news of its successful implementation in 1806, he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree. Probably the commercial experience of M.M. Buldakova helped Natalya Alekseevnev a lot in the first years after her husband’s death in streamlining the company’s affairs and in creating conditions for gaining strong positions in the newly established RAC, where it was M.M. Buldakov was one of the main directors for more than twenty years.

Buldakov was a famous book lover; his library, considerable at that time, was partially preserved in the collections of the Veliky Ustyug Local History Museum. Japanese books were received from him in the collections of the Imperial Public Library in 1814.

Natalya Alekseevna's sons-in-law got along well with each other. Historians believe that Rezanov trusted Buldakov as himself. He left his children to him (his wife Anna had died by that time), leaving in 1803 on a voyage around the world.
Natalya Alekseevna died in 1810 at the age of 48. She was buried in Moscow at the Donskoy Monastery cemetery

After the formation of the RAC, Russian influence on the west coast of North America strengthened and spread to new areas. New Russian settlements appeared on the coast of Alaska, and then in its interior regions. Active study and development of this remote region of the Russian Empire continued.

500 rubles 2013 Russian-American Company

Eternal Memory to the Discoverers and Founders of the Russian Lands! Happy birthday according to the old style of Shelekhov!

Shelekhov Grigory Ivanovich

(Shelikhov) - founder of the Russian-American company, an eminent citizen of Rylsk, who was later elevated to the dignity of nobility for services to the fatherland. Born in 1747, in the city of Rylsk (Kursk province), into a wealthy merchant family. Smart, lively, energetic Shelekhov began trade relations with Siberia in his early youth; after the death of his parents, when he was already 28 years old, he completely moved to Siberia. At that time, the attention of the merchants trading in Siberia was turned to the discovery of islands in the Pacific Ocean, with the aim of harvesting sea beavers on them, from which the companion traders who sent the ships, upon the happy return of the latter, received significant profits. Carried away by their successes, Shelekhov went to Kamchatka and there, in partnership with a Kamchatka merchant, sent his first ship for the skins of beavers, arctic foxes and fur seals, which returned in 1780 with a large cargo of these furs. For the same purpose, in 1777 he equipped the ship to the Kuril Islands and the shores of Japan, then in the following years to the Aleutian Islands, and the navigator Pribilov discovered the islands, which received the name “Pribilov” after his surname. Finally, Sh. formed a company with two Golikov brothers, set off for the shores of America with three ships, and on July 22, 1784, landed on Kodiak Island. Here he founded a permanent settlement in the harbor, which he named Trekhsvyatitelskaya, and thus laid the foundation for Russian colonies in America. At the same time, Shelekhov had to face warlike natives, but thanks to a relatively well-armed team, he quickly and easily conquered the inhabitants who were trying to resist. Having established himself on this island, Shelekhov sent a detachment of his people to the mainland the next year and thus expanded the scope of his trade and conquest enterprises.

Leaving Samoilov in his place on the island of Kodiak, Shelekhov himself went to Irkutsk, where he arrived in 1787, and then, favored by Governor General Jacobi, went to St. Petersburg and presented to the highest authorities a report on his actions during his stay on Kodiak, for which received the highest attention from the Empress. By her order to the governing Senate, in 1788, Shelekhov was awarded a gold medal, studded with diamonds, to be worn around his neck on a blue ribbon, a sword and a letter of commendation, which allowed him to continue the feats he had begun for the benefit of trade. After this, Shelekhov mostly lived in Irkutsk, as a collection point for all goods, from where he controlled the company’s actions. Instead of Samoilov, he chose the Greek Delarov to govern the island of Kodiak in 1787, and in 1790 he sent there the former head of Kamchatka Baranov. Soon, in 1796, Shelekhov died, a little before the merger of several trading partnerships into one large one, called the Russian-American Company. Upon the death of Shelekhov, Empress Catherine II granted his wife and offspring the rights of the Russian nobility, with the provision, however, to carry out trade, and Emperor Paul I, patronizing the Russian-American Company formed in 1798, ordered that the first director be appointed from the Shelekhov family her. Shelekhov described his journey in the book: “The journey of the Russian merchant Grigory Shelekhov in 1783 from Okhotsk along the Eastern Ocean to the American shores, with detailed notification of the discovery of the islands of Kyktak and Adyugnak, which he had newfound, etc. 2 hours with a drawing and an image of the sailor himself and the wild people he found", went through two editions. St. Petersburg 1791-1795 and St. Petersburg. 1812 and even translated into German: “Erste und zweite Reise von Ochotske in Sibirien durch den Oestlichen Ozean nach den Küsten von Amerika in den Jahren 1783-1789 Von Grigori Schelechof. Aus. dem Russ. übersetzt von I. Z. Logan. St. Petersburg. 1793. Shelekhov died in Irkutsk on July 20, 1796 and was buried in the Znamensky Convent. Famous poems composed in honor of him by Derzhavin are carved on his monument. (See "Muse" 1796 Feb., 160 "Tombstone of the Rylsk eminent citizen Shelekhov"). In 1903, in the homeland of G.I. Shelekhov, in the city of Rylsk (Kursk province), a monument was erected to him.

Death of Shelekhov. Op. Sh. "Bulletin of Europe". 1802, part I, no. 3, pp. 52-61; K. Khlebnikov. Biography of G. I. Shelekhov. "Russian Inv." 1838, No. 77-84; K. Khlebnikov. Biography of memorable Russians. G. I. Shelekhov. "Son of the Father." 1838, vol. 2, dep. 3, pp. 66-83; Monument to G.I. Shelekhov. "Magazine for reading military educational institutions." 1839, vol. 18, no. 70, pp. 206-208; Monument to G.I. Shelekhov and his biography. "Son of the Father." 1839, vol. 7, pp. 20-21; K. Khlebnikov. G. I. Shelekhov. "Magazine for reading educational military educational institutions." 1840, vol. 23, no. 89, pp. 32-54; I. V - y. Memories of Shelekhov. "Notes of St. Petersburg. Dept. R.G. General." 1856, book. 1, pp. 1-7; G. I. Shelekhov, founder of the R.-American Company (Chronicle of Irkutsk). "Irk. Lip. Ved." 1860, No. 18; G. I. Shelekhov (1745-1795), founder of the Republic of America. colonies. "Russian people". Ed. M. O. Wolf. 1866, vol. I, pp. 15-30; G. I. Shelekhov. "Mirsky Messenger". 1873, No. 1, pp. 40-41; G. I. Schelikhoff "Liste alphabétique de portraits russes". Par A. Wassilitchikoff. T. 2, p. 373; Shelekhov. Centenary of his death. "Historical Vestn." 1895, No. 9, p. 807; 1897, no. 4, pp. 88-89; "News". 1895, No. 208; Grigory Shelekhov. "Monuments of new Russian history." Collection historical articles and materials. ed. V. Kashpirev. St. Petersburg 1872, vol. 3, dep. II, pp. 371-377; 379-381, 383. Archive of the book. Vorontsova, vol. V, 312, 320; XII, 442; XXIV, 209, 211; Historical review of education in Russia-America. The company and its actions to date. P. Tikhmenev. St. Petersburg 1861 and 1863, part I, ch. 1; S. S. Shashkov. "Russian-Amer. Company". Collection op. 1898 St. Petersburg, vol. II, pp. 634-635; The village of the Russian-American company Ross, under the control of Shelekhov (From the description of the trip of the French captain A. S. Dugos-Silly). "Notes of the Morsk. Scientific Committee." 1837 XIII book., pp. 198-206; A. Sgibnev. Historical outline of the main events in Kamchatka. "Sea Collection". 1869, No. 7, unofficial, pp. 127-129. Opinions of V. M. Golovnin about Russian-America. companies, about Shelekhov and Ryazanov. "Sea Collection". 1864, No. 3, bibliography. 1-4. Something about Shelekhov, Khlebnikov and Ryazanov. "Morsk. Collection." 1869, No. 7, unofficial, p. 47. Note from Cap. 2nd rank V. M. Golovnina on the state of the R.-Am. Companies in 1818 Op. Golovnin, vol. V, pp. 127-130, or “Materials for the history of settlements along the shores of the Eastern Ocean.” St. Petersburg 1861 Travel around the world in 1803-1806 on the ship "Neva" under the command. Fleet Capt.-Lt. Yuri Lisyansky. St. Petersburg 1812, part II, pp. 50-51, p. 68. "To everyone. Illustration", 1895 No. 1383 (with a portrait); "New Bp." 1903, No. 9786 (opening of the monument to G.I. Shelekhov; "Encyclopedia of Military and Naval Sciences", vol. VIII, p. 352; Dictionaries: Tolya, Starchevsky and Efron.

(Polovtsov)

. 2009 .

See what “Shelekhov Grigory Ivanovich” is in other dictionaries:

Shelekhov (Grigory Ivanovich, 1747 1795) famous explorer of Siberia. A poor Rylsk tradesman, Sh. went to seek his fortune in Siberia and already in 1776 began to send his ships to the Pacific Ocean. On one of these trips, his boss... ... Biographical Dictionary

Large biographical encyclopedia

Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov (Shelekhov) Russian explorer, navigator, industrialist and merchant Date of birth: 1747 Place of birth: Rylsk ... Wikipedia

- (1747 1795) famous explorer of Siberia. A poor Rylsk tradesman, Sh. went to seek his fortune in Siberia and already in 1776 began to send his ships to the Pacific Ocean. On one of these trips, the navigator Pribilof, who was in charge of his ship... ...

- (1747 1795) famous explorer of Siberia. A poor Rylsk tradesman, Sh. went to seek his fortune in Siberia and already in 1776 began to send his ships to the Pacific Ocean. On one of these trips, the navigator Pribilof, who was in charge of his ship... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

SHELIKHOV (Shelekhov) Grigory Ivanovich- (Shelekhov) Grigory Ivanovich (174795), merchant. In 1775 he created a company for fur and trapping in the north. about you Pacific approx. and Alaska. Conducted geogr. research and founded the first Russian. settlements in the so-called Rus. America. Based on the company Sh. in... Biographical Dictionary

Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov (Shelekhov) Russian explorer, navigator, industrialist and merchant Date of birth: 1747 Place of birth: Rylsk ... Wikipedia

- (Shelekhov) Russian explorer, navigator, industrialist and merchant Date of birth: 1747 Place of birth: Rylsk ... Wikipedia

- (1747 1795), merchant. In 1775 he created a company for fur and trapping in the northern islands of the Pacific Ocean and Alaska. Founded the first Russian settlements in the so-called Russian America. Conducted geographical research. Based on the company... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Books

• The journey of Grigory Shelekhov from 1783 to 1790 from Okhotsk to the American shores, G.I. Shelekhov. Merchant Grigory Ivanovich Shelekhov in 1783 set off on three ships to the shores of North America, where he founded the first Russian settlement on Kodiak Island. In 1787 he equipped two more...

) - Russian merchant, participant and co-owner of merchant fishing companies, founder of Russian America, initiator of the creation.

G.I. Shelikhov: encyclopedic reference

Born into the family of a Rylsk merchant. He was educated at home and became involved in commercial activities at an early age. Having met the rich 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 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 North-Eastern Company for the fur trade in the Aleutian Islands and off the coast of North America. In 1784 he founded the first Russian settlement on the island. Kodiak, thereby marking the beginning of Russian America. Upon returning to Russia in 1791, he published his notes, which speak of the need to expand the scope of Russian advance in the Pacific region.

Works by Grigory Shelikhov

1. Russian merchant Grigory Shelikhov's journey from Okhotsk along the Eastern Ocean to the American shores. - Khabarovsk, 1971.

Irkutsk Historical and local history dictionary. - Irkutsk: Sib. book, 2011

Founding of the first colonies

In mid-August 1783, Shelikhov with three ships and a crew of 192 people set off towards Alaska. A month later, upon arrival in the New World, having lost one of the ships, the expedition reached the island of Unalaska. Russian fur industrialists, who had already visited these places, dissuaded Shelikhov from establishing settlements here, since shortly before this, local residents had killed an entire group of Russian hunters. However, Shelikhov did not listen to them and founded the first settlement on Kodiak Island. Colonization of the mainland was postponed for security reasons.

Shelikhov intended not to give the local Eskimos the slightest reason for hostile actions, wanting to make them Russian subjects not through fear, but kindly and to their own benefit. He received the first people who dared to visit the Russian settlement very friendly, feeding them and giving them 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 next night they attacked the Russian camp, which, despite superior weapons, was only able to repel the onslaught with difficulty. The next morning, boats filled with warriors began to approach from a neighboring island, going to the aid of the Kodiak Eskimos. It was clear that the Russians would not be able to withstand this superior force for long. Therefore, Shelikhov gave the order to fire at the native settlement from cannons, after which hundreds of them immediately surrendered out of fear of an unknown weapon. Shelikhov ordered the execution of the most militant ones. The rest had to leave their children as hostages and were released. These children were raised together with Russian children, went to school and studied Russian. Despite the difficulties, the Russians eventually managed to establish peaceful relations with the Indians.

Shelikhov supervised construction since 1790. In 1781, Shelikhov founded the Northeast Company, which in 1799 was transformed into the Russian-American Trading Company.