Okhotsk Coast

The Okhotsk Coast is an informal name for the northwest coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. Although it was never an administrative unit there is some reason to treat it as a distinct region. Here in 1639 the Russians first reached the Pacific Ocean. From here, beginning in 1716, Russian ships sailed east to the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Aleutian Islands and Alaska.

Landmarks

''The western section'' is historically the most important. It runs northeast about from Uda Gulf to the town of Okhotsk. At the westernmost point of the Sea of Okhotsk is the Uda River which was the Russo-Chinese border from the Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689) to the Treaty of Aigun (1859). To the east is Uda Gulf and the Shantar Islands. About up the coast is Ayan with its good harbor but poor communications inland. northeast is the mouth of the Ulya River where the Russians first saw the Pacific. northeast is the mouth of the southeast-flowing Urak River (an important route to the coast) and further is the town of Okhotsk where the south-flowing the Okhota River. At the northwest corner of the Bay are the mouths of the Taui River and a Yana River ( not the Arctic one). Near the northeast corner is the good harbor of Nagayev Bay where, in 1929, the Nagayevo settlement was built which grew into a GULAG city of Magadan with its road north to the Kolyma gold fields. east of Magadan the east-west section ends at the P'yagin Peninsula and the Yamsky Islands.

''Shelikhov Bay:'' The coast runs northeast forming the west side of the Shelikhov Bay. One of the Yama Rivers enters at the base of the P'yagin Peninsula. up the coast is the head of Gizhigin Bay with Gizhiga Ostrog, the Taygonos Peninsula and the 300-kilometre long Penzhina Bay and the route north to Anadyrsk. The east side of Shelikov Bay is the Kamchatka Peninsula. From the head of Penzhina Bay back to the Uda River is about 2,000 kilometres.

Geography

The western section is backed by the Dzhugdzhur Mountains which reach 600 to 1,000 metres. They drain westward to branches of the Aldan River. Once over the mountains one could travel by boat with few portages all the way to the Ural Mountains. On the east side numerous short, swift rivers cut valleys down to the sea. Their lower floodplains and the negligible coastal strip are the only flat land. The climate is monsoonal. From October to February cold heavy air blows seaward from the interior. From May to July damp air blows landward bringing a cold foggy drizzle. Average temperature is around 10 °C in summer and around zero in winter. Growing season rarely exceeds three months. Only root crops grew well. The few peasants found fishing and trapping more profitable. The high value of sable pelts made it possible to buy imported food. This and the poor soils meant that the Russians had to import food despite the abundance of Salmon.

The natives were Lamuts, a branch of the Tungus who are now called Evens. Like most coastal Siberians, they were reindeer herders in the interior with a few semi-sedentary fishers and sealers along the coast. They had some metallurgy. On both sides of Penzhina Bay were the Koryaks. They were economically similar to the Lamuts, but more warlike. The Lamuts were subdued by the 1690s and the Koryaks much later. In Russian times a number of Yakuts came down to the coast.

Crossing the Mountains

Food passing through Okhotsk was mostly grown near Irkutsk and floated down the Lena River to Yakutsk, carried to Okhotsk and from there most went by ship to Kamchatka. European goods and travelers joined the Lena at the Ust-Kut portage. Lighter west-bound goods -mostly furs- took the reverse route. After 1729 most furs were sold to the Chinese at Kyakhta. In 1805 a pood (34 pounds) of flour cost 0.5 rubles at Irkutsk, 1.5 rubles at Yakutsk, 10 rubles at Okhotsk and 12 rubles at Kamchatka, the difference being the transport cost.

''Water route:'' The route ran from Yakutsk up the Aldan river to the Maya River, transferred to smaller boats, went up the Maya and south up the Mati River, over the Lama portage or Alanchak portage and the down the Ulya River to the coast. By 1700 it was more common to go to the head of the Maya and overland to the head of the Urak River and downstream. A later route went up the Yudoma River, a large west-flowing branch of the Maya, and either over the Yudoma Portage (80–100 kilometres from Yudoma Cross southeast to Urak Landing) and 150–200 kilometres down the Urak River or further up the Yudoma and over the long Okhotsk Portage to the Okhota River) on the upper reaches. After about 1741 it was mostly replaced by the easier horse route.

''Yakutsk-Okhotsk Track:'' By at least 1715 there was a 1,100-kilometre horse track from Yakutsk to Okhotsk. It gradually became the main route until Okhotsk lost its status as the main port in 1844-51. The Yakutsk-Okhotsk Track ran east from Yakutsk, crossed the Aldan River

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