Page 195 - 1992 - XVIII Congresso Internazionale di Storia Militare

RUSSlANS IN AMERICA (XVII-XIX)

ALEXEJ N. BAZHENOV

The history ofRussian exploracion in America (unoffìcial name for Russia's
lands in North America in che 18 and 19rb cenruries - Alaska, a pan of Nonh
California and tbc Aleutiao Jslaods) dares back co che distane pasc_ l c connects che
beroic, and samecimes dramacic, evem:s io the life of many generatioos of Russia n
men. Through tbc broad door, opened up by tbc traìl-blazers in the 16rh cencury,
Russia n pioneers a od navigarors srreamed imo the unimaginable lands of Siberia
and the Far East rraveUiog aloog rivers and land roads «co meec che $un». Russian
meo, using a vast oerwork of grear Siberian rivers, overcoming aU kinds of obsra-
cles, reached che Lcna-river banks, where they founded a forcress in 1632- rhe fu-
rure Yakut'Sk. And in 1637 a Cossack derachrnent, led by I.U. Moskvicin, srarred
our on ics expeclition from tbac fortress.
Tn 1639 the Moskvitins having crossed the Jugjur mounraìn range reached
d1e shores of the Okhorsk Sea. The roure from che UraJs ro che Paci fie was extend-
ed by Russian piooeers. Thcy founded the Udskoe wincer camp near che mouth
of che Ulia-river and chen having explored che estuary of tbc tiver Okhota, the ls-
lands of Shancar and northern part of che Sakhalin rcrurned c.o che Lena.
There is no doubt abour tbc decds o( the Cossacks, led by I.U. Moskvitio.
Bur it was nor che lasr pagc of geographic explorarion in che East, which by cheir
signifìcance were not secand to che great discoveri.es in the Wesc at che end of che
15th aod ar che beginning of tbc 16tb cemuries.
Ooe of tbc grearcst evcnrs io tbc middle of the 17th ccnrury was the discovery
of a gian.c suair berweeo tbc rwo coori.neors of Asia an d North America, but ic was
nor because Russia was passing through a vcry cliJficulr period at tbar cime.
In the summer of 1642 under an order from Yakut military .goveroor, tbc
Cossack, Dmitriy Zirian wem by sea from the moutb of che t:iver Lndigirca co the
civer tJazei, where he goc information from the aborigines - ukagirs - abour
a big river, rhe Kolyma. Sooo cwo detachmenrs reachcd Mikhail Sradukhin and
Semioo Deznev.ln 1643 chey reached che mouth of che r.ivçr Kolyma. The settlc-
ment caUed Nimekolymskoye was founded where the Sukoi Anu.i and che Kolyma
meer.
lo 1647 S. Dcznev and a group ofhunters left Niznekolymskoye for the Are-
tic. Bue che derachmeor soon rerurned having failed 1:0 reac.h tbe ocean because
of ice. In 1648 a Pomor merchant, Fedot Alexcev (Popov) equ.ipped a new expedi-
cion ro reacb che banks of tbe Studenoye (lcy) Sea and dis<Cover new lands. rich