Before California was part of the United States, it was its own short-lived sovereign nation. Before that, it was part of Mexico. And before that…it was briefly colonized by Russia.
As Evan Lovett tells us on “L.A. In a Minute,” California’s history could look a lot different if a certain group of settlers had done a better job of growing crops.
Russian explorers first made their way to Alaska in the 1730s during an expedition to map the western shores of North America. Throughout the rest of the 18th century, Russia continued to send expeditions to Alaska, establishing colonies and trading posts.
But the frozen tundra wasn’t exactly a prime climate for agriculture, so to keep the struggling settlements fed, they looked southward.
In 1812, the Russians established an outpost in Northern California called Fort Ross. They purchased the land from the local Kashaya Pomo people for the high price of “three blankets, three pairs of breeches, two axes, three hoes, and some beads.”
Less than a decade later, in 1821, Russia boldly proclaimed sovereignty over the Pacific Northwest. This put them at odds with the westwardly-expanding United States – not to mention Mexico, which declared independence from Spain the same year, and considered California to be their own territory.
Unfortunately for the Russians, their faltering colonies weren’t strong enough to hold their own. The settlers at Fort Ross had failed in their agricultural efforts and rapidly hunted the area’s sea otters to near-extinction.
Short on food and supplies, Russia finally gave up in 1841 and sold their entire California colony to Swiss-Mexican pioneer John Sutter for a mere $30,000 – worth about $1 million in today’s money. Some historians claim Sutter never actually paid up.
How close did the Russian settlers get to Los Angeles? For that, listen to the full audio above, and follow L.A. In A Minute on Instagram and Tiktok.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Related
Related
