Ivan Aleksandrovich Kuskov (russian: Иван Александрович Кусков; 1765–1823) was the senior assistant to
Aleksandr Baranov, the Chief Administrator of the
Russian-American Company
The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty (russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американс ...
(RAC).
Biography
He was a native of
Totma
Totma (russian: То́тьма) is a town and the administrative center of Totemsky District in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Sukhona River at its confluence with the Pesya Denga, northeast of Vologda, the administr ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
, he served in the RAC for 31 years, attaining the rank of Commerce Counselor (12th rank) and being awarded the gold medal "for zealous service" from
Emperor Aleksandr I. Between 1808 and 1812 he led five exploratory expeditions to
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
with the intent of founding an agricultural settlement to supply the northern colonies of
Russian America
Russian America (russian: Русская Америка, Russkaya Amerika) was the name for the Russian Empire's colonial possessions in North America from 1799 to 1867. It consisted mostly of present-day Alaska in the United States, but a ...
(
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
).
Kuskov, under guidance from Baranov, founded ''Fortress Ross'' (present day
Fort Ross
Fort Ross ( Russian: Форт-Росс, Kashaya ''mé·ṭiʔni''), originally Fortress Ross ( pre-reformed Russian: Крѣпость Россъ, tr. ''Krepostʹ Ross''), is a former Russian establishment on the west coast of North America i ...
) in 1812.
[Khlebnikov, K.T., 1973, Baranov, Chief Manager of the Russian Colonies in America, Kingston: The Limestone Press, ]
Kuskov served as Administrator at Fort Ross from 1812 until 1821. In 1819 he was recommended for the
Order of St. Vladimir
The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptize ...
, 4th class, but had not received the award by the time of his death in 1823. After retiring from the RAC he returned to his home town of Totma, in the
Vologda province on July 4, 1821, and died in 1823. His house is preserved to this day in Totma as the "Kuskov House Museum", under the direction of the Totma Museum Association,
which preserves two original portraits, presumed to have been painted in California of Kuskov and his wife.
References
Bibliography
*Scott Foresman, ''History-Social Science for California'', Unit 3, Lesson 1, Pearson Education, Inc., Glenview Illinois, 2006.
Russian explorers of North America
Explorers of California
People of Russian America
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States
1765 births
1832 deaths
People from Sonoma County, California
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