What Shelikhov discovered. Shelikhov Grigory Ivanovich (biography)
- (1747 95) Russian merchant. In 1775 he created a company for fur and trapping on the northern islands of the Pacific ca. and Alaska. Founded the first Russian settlements in the so-called. Russian America. Conducted geographical research. Based on the company... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (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
Shelikhov, Shelekhov Grigory Ivanovich, Russian sailor, merchant. From 1775 he organized voyages of merchant ships to the Kuril and Aleutian Islands. In 1783-86 he led an expedition to the shores of... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Shelikhov, Grigory Ivanovich- SHE/LIKHOV Grigory Ivanovich (1747 1795) Russian navigator, industrialist and merchant. Having settled in Kamchatka, he organized a series of voyages of fishing and merchant ships to Alaska, the Aleutian and Kuril Islands. In Alaska he created a company for... ...
- (Shelekhov; 1747 July 2, 1795) Russian. merchant entrepreneur. In 1773 75 he was in the service of the Siberian merchant I. Golikov. In 1775, Sh., together with the latter and other merchants, organized a merchant company, which was engaged in fur and hunting in... ...
Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov- see Shelikhov, Grigory Ivanovich... Marine Biographical Dictionary
- (Shelekhov) Russian explorer, navigator, industrialist and merchant Date of birth: 1747 Place of birth: Rylsk ... Wikipedia
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... ... Large biographical encyclopedia
Books
- The journey of Grigory Shelikhov from 1783 to 1790 from Okhotsk to the American shores, G.I. Shelikhov. 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...
In the 80s of the 18th century there were already several Russian settlements on the northwestern coast of America. They were founded by Russian industrialists who, hunting for fur-bearing animals and fur seals, undertook long voyages across the Sea of Okhotsk and the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. However, industrialists then did not yet have a fully realized goal of founding Russian colonies. This idea first arose from the enterprising merchant Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov. Understanding the economic importance of the coast and islands of North America, which were famous for their fur riches, G. I. Shelikhov, this Russian Columbus, as the poet G. R. Derzhavin later called him, decided to annex them to the Russian possessions.
G.I. Shelikhov was from Rylsk. As a young man, he went to Siberia in search of “happiness.” Initially he served as a clerk for the merchant I. L. Golikov, and then became his shareholder and partner. Possessing great energy and foresight, Shelikhov convinced Golikov to send ships “to the Alaskan land, called American, to known and unknown islands for fur trade and all sorts of searches and establishment of voluntary bargaining with the natives.” In company with Golikov, Shelikhov built the ship "St. Paul" and in 1776 set off for the shores of America. After being at sea for four years, Shelikhov returned to Okhotsk with a rich cargo of furs totaling at least 75 thousand rubles at the prices of that time.
To implement his plan for the colonization of the islands and coast of North America, Shelikhov, together with I. L. Golikov and M. S. Golikov, organizes a company to exploit these territories. The company's particular attention was attracted to Kodiak Island for its fur riches. At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries (from 1784 to 1804), this island became the main center of Russian colonization of the Pacific coast of North America. During his second expedition, launched in 1783 on the Three Saints galliot, Shelikhov lived for two years on this island, the largest of the islands adjacent to the coast of Alaska. On this island Shelikhov founded a harbor, named after his ship, the Harbor of the Three Saints, and also erected fortifications. 
A small fortification was built on the island of Afognak. Shelikhov also became acquainted with the coast of Alaska, visited Kenayok Bay and visited a number of islands surrounding Kodiak.
In 1786, Shelikhov returned from his voyage to Okhotsk, and in 1789 - to Irkutsk.
News of his activities off the American coast and the founding of colonies there reached Catherine II, upon whose call he went to St. Petersburg.
Catherine II perfectly understood the significance of Shelikhov’s activities and received him very favorably. Returning to Irkutsk, Shelikhov equipped two ships to explore the Kuril Islands and the coast of America and gave orders to their commanders, navigators Izmailov and Bocharov, to “affirm Her Majesty’s authority in all newly discovered points.” During these expeditions, a description of the North American coast from Chugatsky Bay to Litua Bay was made and a detailed map of it was compiled. At the same time, the network of Russian settlements off the coast of America is expanding. The head of the Russian colony, left by Shelikhov, Delarov, founded a number of settlements on the shores of the Kenai Bay.
Shelikhov, through his various activities, sought to expand and strengthen the network of Russian settlements in Kodiak and the Aleutian Islands.
He developed a number of projects to bring the Russian colonies into a “worthy form.” Shelikhov instructed his manager Baranov to find a suitable place on the shores of the American continent to build a city, which he proposed to call “Slavorossia”.
Shelikhov opened Russian schools on Kodiak and other islands and tried to teach crafts and agriculture to the local residents, the Tlingit Indians, or Koloshes, as the Russians called them. For this purpose, on Shelikhov’s initiative, twenty Russian exiles who knew various crafts and ten peasant families were sent to Kodiak.
In 1794, Shelikhov organized a new “Northern Company”, one of the main goals of which was the establishment of Russian colonies on the coast of Alaska.
After Shelikhov’s death (in 1795), his activities to expand Russian colonization off the coast of Alaska and exploitation of its wealth were continued by the Kargopol merchant Baranov. Baranov turned out to be no less persistent and enterprising leader of the new Russian colonies than Shelikhov himself, and continued the work begun by Shelikhov to expand and strengthen Russian possessions on the northwestern shores of America.
(1747-1795)
G. I. Shelikhov (another spelling of the surname Shelekhov) is widely known as the “Russian Columbus”, as an enterprising merchant and navigator, the inspirer and organizer of the Russian-American Trade and Fishing Company, the initiator of research and development of the Pacific coast of North America, Alaska, the Kuril and Aleutian islands. Shelikhov is also known as a far-sighted and energetic Russian patriot, the author of a number of broad projects: geographical expeditions to find uncharted islands, to explore the Russian Far East, to find a sea passage to Baffin Bay. Shelikhov was one of the first to suggest the idea of a Russian trip around the world. He owns projects for expanding Russian colonization of North America, building new ports on the Okhotsk coast of Russia, expanding Russia’s foreign trade relations with the countries of the Indian and Pacific basins.
During his travels and work on the development of Russian America, Shelikhov himself made several outstanding discoveries.
Shelikhov was born into the family of a merchant (information about his father’s property status is very contradictory) in the city of Rylsk, Kursk province. The month of birth, as well as the first 26 years of life, are unknown.
By his time, Siberia was “roughly” put on the map and only to a small extent developed by the Russians. The main wealth of Siberia at that time was Siberian fur, which became more and more difficult to obtain from year to year. In search of more abundant fisheries, the Siberian merchants expanded the boundaries of their activities to the east, to the islands of the “Eastern Ocean” that had not yet been affected by the predatory plunder. The highly profitable but risky fishing for sea beavers, fur seals, and walrus tusk, associated with the search for yet unknown islands with animal rookeries, attracted the most courageous and enterprising merchants and industrialists to the Okhotsk and Bering coasts. G.I. Shelikhov also became interested in this.
In 1773 [according to other sources - in 1775, when, having married in Irkutsk, Shelikhov received significant funds as a dowry. His wife, the daughter of the merchant Golikov, an intelligent and energetic woman, was Shelikhov’s constant companion (along with her children). After his death, she was an active shareholder of the Russian-American Company] he came to “Siberian Petersburg” - the city of Irkutsk and became a clerk for the wealthy merchant I. L. Golikov, to whom he had a letter of recommendation from his brother, a Kursk merchant. In 1775, Shelikhov moved to Okhotsk where he became the organizer of the construction of ships and equipment of expeditions for sea animals to the Aleutian and Kuril Islands, entering into companies with various merchants (Alin, Lebedev-Lastochkin, Golikov, Kozitsyn). In five years - from 1776 to 1781 - under his leadership ten ships were built and a significant number of expeditions were equipped.
Sent by him in company with Lebedev-Lastochkin, navigator Pribilof on the ship "St. George" discovered islands called the Pribilof Islands.
During these five years, Shelikhov accumulated significant capital, and most importantly, he studied the business and gained trust in the trading world, especially from his main partner, Golikov.
Possessing remarkable intelligence and insight, Shelikhov soon realized the destructive effect of predatory trades undertaken by small and short-term companies, realized the impossibility of expanding shipping, and saw the hatred of merchants that they themselves incited among the indigenous population of the islands. Then he was the first in Siberia to decide to organize a powerful trading company, operating permanently on the islands of the Pacific Ocean and in America, supported by the government, which would organize trades in a businesslike manner, build industrial settlements and ships on the islands, and develop regular shipping.
In 1781, Shelikhov began organizing this company. Golikov became its shareholder. Three ships were built: the galliots “Three Saints”, “Simeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess” and “Archangel Michael”. Shelikhov became the head of the expedition to select the location of the company's base on the islands.
According to Shelikhov's plan, the place of the first Russian settlement was supposed to be rich in game animals and located on the most remote land. To do this, he decided to immediately settle, and then expand his voyages and look for new rookeries and new islands.
On August 16, 1783, Shelikhov set off along the Aleutian Islands to the extreme land of Kodiak, then known in the east. Before Shelikhov, it was not established whether it was an island or a peninsula. Almost a year later (two ships wintered on Bering Island) - August 3, 1784 - two of the three ships reached Kodiak
Shelikhov's expedition was met with hostility by local residents. However, in contrast to foreign invaders who exterminated entire tribes, Shelikhov sought to use local residents for his endeavors. His activities are permeated with concern for the preservation of the indigenous population and maintaining friendly relations with them, and increasing their cultural level. In the first year of his arrival in Kodiak, he founded a school. Shelikhov took the most capable students of the school to Irkutsk for further education.
Shelikhov tried to bring local American residents closer to Russians as quickly as possible, both through cultural communication and family ties.
Shelikhov did all this at his own expense, taking into account state interests. He wrote to the Irkutsk Governor-General: “Time and my meager mind invented this plan, presented to your Excellency, according to which... I set off myself... to the American north-eastern shores... to seek benefits for the fatherland, without putting greed for the object in any way. greed and not seeking to distinguish ourselves by this, but with the sole goal of sacrificing to my dear fatherland with benefit" "... we must, in order to spread trade and trade in this region and expand the borders of the All-Russian Empire, search all parts of the unknown islands and those living in such places To bring peoples into friendship through affectionate treatment...”
By examining Kodiak, Shelikhov established that it was an island. Then industrialists sent by Shelikhov discovered a number of more islands of the Kodiak archipelago, including Afognak. The strait between these islands and Alaska is deservedly named after Shelikhov.
In 1785-1786 Shelikhov sent a detachment of industrialists to the north, where they discovered the deep Kenai Bay, the shores of North America, described the shores of Alaska, the Kenai Peninsula, the coast of the continent to Cape St. Elias and the islands of the Gulf of Alaska.
Shelikhov masterfully developed new lands: he built new settlements and fortresses (the first fortress on Kodiak Island was called Trekhsvyatitelskaya), raised imported livestock, started arable farming, and looked for minerals. Shelikhov repeatedly gave instructions to the company’s rulers, navigators, and industrialists: “...immediately make an accurate inventory... describe large and small islands everywhere, bays, rivers, harbors, capes, laidas, ridges, field and visible stones, where in places there is what kind of land, that is, forests, meadows, properties, type and location of the land, in what place and at what time, what kind and in what quantity, what kind of land there is, where there are fish in the fishery, what they hunt for it, what kind of animals are there where , also at what time and how they hunt. Note all kinds of living plants... The main thing is to describe each vein, where and on which vein to know the number of people, and make a census of the male and female sex, the number of souls, with a description, although approximate, of who is what age. Every river, lake, housing, islands, in a word, every place in the inventory should be supplied with letters that will indicate the most accuracy on the plans. Write the names according to the very strength of the names of all the places of the local inhabitants; and do not disfigure with your names, so that everything can be found by the ranks of the inhabitants.”
Shelikhov encourages geographical research and all sorts of discoveries: he is given a bonus (over and above the company's fee) of 1000 rubles. for the discovery and description of each new island.
He also took care of the wide popularization of the riches of the new lands and their attractions in Russia, and of ethnographic research.
In 1786, leaving most of the people who arrived with him under the leadership of K. A. Samoilov, Shelikhov set off on the return journey, taking with him representatives of several Alaskan Indians, Aleuts, Eskimos, as well as various sights of America.
On his way to Kamchatka, he visited the Kuril Islands, collecting detailed information about the entire ridge and deciding to settle on these islands in the future.
In Kamchatka, Shelikhov met a ship of the English East India Company and started trading with it, leaving an order to his clerk to continue to maintain trade relations with foreigners if their ships were in Kamchatka.
From Kamchatka Shelikhov left for Okhotsk on dogs, detouring that bay of the Sea of Okhotsk, which later received the name Shelikhov Bay.
In the winter of 1787, Shelikhov arrived in Irkutsk, drew up a detailed memo to the Governor-General about his trip, attached several documents and instructions to his employees, drew up a project for organizing a monopoly American trade company with foreigners, and petitioned for the official annexation of the American coast to Russia.
Shelikhov’s note to the Governor-General served as material for the publication of the book “The Russian merchant of the eminent Rylsk citizen Grigory Shelikhov...” This book, published in 1791 without Shelikhov’s knowledge, was a huge success and was translated into English and German. In 1792, the second edition of this book, “The Russian merchant Grigory Shelikhov’s continuation of his wanderings...” was published.
In the note and in the projects, Shelikhov reveals a broad outlook: “... This trade carried out through the Seas of Okhotsk and Kamchatka brings considerable profit to the treasury and traders, and since it can bring prosperity to the local region, since through this trade high prices can be averted... will flock there from everywhere there are merchants and every people, over time, numerous, and that most distant region will flourish to greatness and the most noble in the light of commerce and cultivation of the land, ... further knowledge can spread to establish our borders along the North-Eastern Ocean to the most distant limits ... where else. .. no European power has its own establishments.”
Shelikhov was one of the first to pay attention to the expansion of foreign voyages with the aim of seizing colonies in the Pacific Ocean and strenuously sought to get ahead of them.
In 1788, having secured the support of the Irkutsk governor-general, Shelikhov and Golikov turned to Catherine II with a petition to approve a monopoly on American possessions, to allow trade with foreigners and the annexation of discovered new lands to Russia, as well as appropriations for further searches for new lands.
But at that time Russia was at war with Turkey and Sweden, and Catherine feared complications with England and China. Therefore, she rejected the projects presented by Shelikhov and Golikov and only ordered that the merchants be awarded swords and gold medals around their necks for their discoveries and diligence.
Understanding the award as approval of his actions, Shelikhov further expanded his activities to strengthen his possessions and explore the islands in America without government assistance.
He selected intelligent, energetic, and courageous sailors and leaders of the company's affairs in America. These rulers - first Delarov, then Baranov - expanded exploration of Alaska and the shores of America all the way to California. Navigators Izmailov and Bocharov discovered new islands and wrote their descriptions. Everything was done in detail, with the expectation of many years to come. Iron boards with the inscriptions: “Land of Russian possession” were installed everywhere on the banks. In many places, copper boards with the same inscription were buried in the ground. The coasts from Alaska to California were described, villages and fortresses were built in the most convenient places, and cattle breeding and arable farming were widely introduced. At the same time, Shelikhov instructed Baranov to “invent a machine with which it would be convenient to dig the ground.” Shelikhov took great care to ensure that the settlements were beautiful, with comfortable houses and clean air. He was especially concerned about the development of shipbuilding in America, fully understanding the importance of external relations and planning to send ships with goods to China, Malaya, Indonesia, and India.
In 1790-1793 Shelikhov, in addition to the Northeast American, organized three more companies: Predtechenskaya, operating on the Pribilof and Lisikh islands, Unalaskinskaya, located on the island of Unalaska, and North American, whose task was to create and strengthen settlements on the islands of the Bering Sea and on the northern, then completely unexplored coast of Alaska, as well as to find a sea or land passage to Baffin Bay.
Shelikhov also took the initiative in settling the Kuril Islands with Russians. In 1795, he sent 20 industrialists and four peasant families to the 18th Kuril Island (Urup).
Aware of the enormous importance for Russia of a strategic outpost in the form of the Kuril ridge, Shelikhov, despite Catherine II’s warning not to start a dispute over these islands with other powers, took the courage and risk to secure the Kuril Islands for Russia.
Shelikhov's capital grew rapidly. In the shortest possible time, he became the richest merchant in Siberia, but at the same time his trade affairs were inextricably combined with the benefits for Russia and for geographical research. None of his contemporaries contributed so much initiative to the exploration of newly discovered lands, to strengthening the borders of Russia and the development of new lands. He believed that the American possessions were to become a new region of Russia - "Slavorossia" - with cities, shipyards, industry and agriculture superior to Siberia.
American possessions, thousands of kilometers away from the center of Russia, required many different goods. Finding new convenient routes to America was one of Shelikhov’s most important concerns. Traveling through roadless Siberia and especially communicating with its northeastern outskirts was extremely difficult. In this regard, Shelikhov had the idea of finding and exploring part of the Northern Sea Route from the mouth of the Lena to North America and through the Bering Strait, and even about circumnavigating the world: “...As your Excellency knows, one thousand thirteen miles from Yakutsk to Okhotsk are being transported all the hardships... Yakuts on horseback... very often, due to the rainfall that occurs, they throw luggage on the road... since the places are empty, rocky and swampy and often impassable, so are the rivers... Things transported there by sea are not only cheaper... but always in sufficient quantities... can be delivered there...". He had already found people for the first task in 1790.
At the same time, he sought to improve existing ways of exploring the Far East. In November 1794, Shelikhov drew up a “most humble report” to the Irkutsk Governor-General I. A. Pil with a request to allow him to carry out an expedition to find a more convenient place for the construction of a port than Okhotsk, and also to give him “skilled people whom I would send could along the mane of that permanent ridge, which stretches east from Baikal itself... from such an expedition this benefit will be that we will find out the location between the Amur and between the peaks of the Vitim, Olekma, Aldan and Mai rivers, for these places to this day remain completely unexplored by us and undescribed... And as such, an expedition must have all the necessary... benefits and expenses, then I accept these for myself and willingly sacrifice the required amount for the benefit of the fatherland...” But Shelikhov failed to carry out this expedition. This region was already studied under Soviet rule.
Shelikhov was the initiator and organizer of A. Laxman's expedition to Japan in 1792, not only to establish trade relations, but also to describe Japan. Trade could not be established, but the expedition collected valuable information about Japan. In 1795 Shelikhov was preparing a new expedition to Japan. But this expedition did not take place, since on July 20, 1795, at the 48th year of his life, in full bloom and with amazing energy and breadth of activity, Shelikhov died in Irkutsk.
A worthy successor and continuer of Shelikhov’s work was A. A. Baranov, who continued to expand settlements and research in America.
Contemporaries and descendants had different assessments of Shelikhov as a personality and figure. There was often talk about his cruelty, the pursuit of personal benefits, the exploitation of the American population and exiles, etc. All this to some extent could have taken place, since it corresponded to the spirit of that time, but in general the activities of Shelikhov, an exceptional man for his age, a remarkable figure and patriot, was progressive and democratic. Concerns about the native population and the resettlement of Russians to America, who sought to get rid of serfdom, speak of the progressive direction of the colonization of Russian America. This is confirmed by the fact that the Decembrists showed great interest in Russian colonization in America. Some Decembrist sailors dreamed of making independent trips around the world on the company’s ships. The Decembrists Ryleev (former director of the Company), Kuchelbecker, Zavalishin, Romanov were associated with the activities of the Russian-American Company. The Company House at one time served as the headquarters of the Decembrists for their meetings; Meetings of the leaders of the Decembrists sometimes took place there.
Shelikhov's services to Russian geographical science are invaluable. His numerous instructions, projects, reports and requests, bold plans, descriptions of new lands, prudent orders of a state scale, instructions, which were programs for the geographical study of open lands, constitute an interesting work.
Derzhavin’s poems are carved on the monument to Shelikhov in Irkutsk:
“Columbus of Russia is buried here,
Said the seas, discovered unknown countries..."
On the other side of the monument are carved the words of I. I. Dmitriev:
“...Ross Shelikhov, without troops, without thunderous forces,
Flowed into America through stormy abysses...
Don't forget, descendant,
That Ross - your ancestor was also loud in the east.”
The following names are named after G.I. Shelikhov: a bay in the Sea of Okhotsk, a strait between the island. Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula, a bay and river on the Kuril Islands, a city in the Irkutsk region.
References
- Parmuzin Yu. P. Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov / Yu. P. Parmuzin // Domestic physical geographers and travelers. – Moscow: State educational and pedagogical publishing house of the Ministry of Education of the RSFSR, 1959. – P. 106-115.
- Molyavko G.I. Geologists. Geographers. Biographical reference book / G. I. Molyavko, V. P. Franchuk, V. G. Kulichenko. – Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, 1985. – 352 p.
) - 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 next 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 laying the foundation for Russian America. Upon returning to Russia in 1791, he published his notes, which spoke of the need to expand the scope of Russian advance in the Pacific region.
Works by Grigory Shelikhov
- 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.
(1747 - 1795)
G. I. Shelikhov 1 is widely known as the “Russian Columbus”, as an enterprising merchant and navigator, the inspirer and organizer of the Russian-American Trade and Fishing Company, the initiator of research and development of the Pacific coast of North America, Alaska, the Kuril and Aleutian Islands. Shelikhov is also known as a far-sighted and energetic Russian patriot, the author of a number of broad projects: geographical expeditions to find islands not on the map, to explore the Russian Far East, to find a sea passage to Baffin Bay.
Shelikhov was one of the first to suggest the idea of a Russian trip around the world. He owns projects for expanding Russian colonization of North America, building new ports on the Okhotsk coast of Russia, expanding Russia’s foreign trade relations with the countries of the Indian and Pacific basins. During his travels and work on the development of Russian America, Shelikhov himself made several outstanding discoveries.
Shelikhov was born into the family of a merchant in the city of Rylsk, Kursk province. The month of birth, as well as the first 26 years of life, are unknown.
By his time, Siberia was “roughly” put on the map and only to a small extent developed by the Russians. The main wealth of Siberia at that time - Siberian furs - was getting more and more difficult from year to year. In search of more abundant fisheries, the Siberian merchants expanded the boundaries of their activities to the east, to the islands of the “Eastern Ocean” that had not yet been affected by the predatory plunder. The highly profitable but risky fishing for sea beavers, fur seals, and walrus tusk, associated with the search for yet unknown islands with animal rookeries, attracted the most courageous and enterprising merchants and industrialists to the Okhotsk and Bering coasts. Shelikhov also became interested in this.
In 1773, he came to “Siberian Petersburg” - the city of Irkutsk and became a clerk for the rich merchant I. L. Golikov, to whom he had a letter of recommendation from his brother, a Kursk merchant. In 1775, Shelikhov moved to Okhotsk and became the organizer of the construction of ships and equipment of expeditions for sea animals to the Aleutian and Kuril Islands, entering into companies with various merchants (Alin, Lebedev-Lastochkin, Golikov, Kozitsyn). In five years - from 1776 to 1781 - under his leadership ten ships were built and a significant number of expeditions were equipped.
Sent by him in company with Lebedev-Lastochkin, navigator Pribilov on the ship “St. George" discovered the islands, called the Pribilof Islands.
During these five years, Shelikhov accumulated significant capital, and most importantly, he studied the business and gained trust in the trading world, especially from his main partner, Golikov.
Possessing remarkable intelligence and insight, Shelikhov soon realized the destructive effect of predatory trades undertaken by small and short-term companies, realized the impossibility of expanding shipping, and saw the hatred of merchants that they themselves incited among the indigenous population of the islands. Then he was the first in Siberia to decide to organize a powerful trading company, operating permanently on the islands of the Pacific Ocean and in America, supported by the government, which would organize trades in a businesslike manner, build industrial settlements and ships on the islands, and develop regular shipping.
In 1781, Shelikhov began organizing this company. Golikov became its shareholder. Three ships were built: the galliots “Three Saints”, “Simeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess” and “Archangel Michael”. Shelikhov became the head of the expedition to select the location of the company's base on the islands.
According to Shelikhov's plan, the place of the first Russian settlement was supposed to be rich in game animals and located on the most remote land. To do this, he decided to immediately settle, and then expand his voyages and look for new rookeries and new islands.
On August 16, 1783, Shelikhov set off along the Aleutian Islands to the extreme land of Kodiak, then known in the east. Before Shelikhov, it was not established whether it was an island or a peninsula. Almost a year later (two ships wintered on Bering Island) - August 3, 1784 - two of the three ships reached Kodiak.
Shelikhov's expedition was met with hostility by local residents. However, in contrast to foreign invaders who exterminated entire tribes, Shelikhov sought to use local residents for his endeavors. His activities are permeated with concern for the preservation of the indigenous population and maintaining friendly relations with them, and increasing their cultural level. In the first year of his arrival in Kodiak, he founded a school. Shelikhov took the most capable students of the school to Irkutsk for further education.
Shelikhov tried to bring local American residents closer to Russians as quickly as possible, both through cultural communication and family ties.
Shelikhov did all this at his own expense, taking into account state interests. He wrote to the Irkutsk Governor-General: “Time and my meager mind invented this plan, presented to your Excellency, according to which... I set off myself... to the American north-eastern shores... to seek benefits for the fatherland, without putting greed for the object in any way. greed and not seeking to distinguish ourselves by this, but with the sole goal of sacrificing to my dear fatherland with benefit "... "... we must, in order to spread trade and trade in this region and expand the borders of the All-Russian Empire, search all parts of the unknown islands and inhabited In such places, bring peoples into friendship through affectionate treatment...”
By examining Kodiak, Shelikhov established that it was an island. Then industrialists sent by Shelikhov discovered a number of more islands of the Kodiak archipelago, including Afognak. The strait between these islands and Alaska is deservedly named after Shelikhov.
In 1785 - 1786 Shelikhov sent a detachment of industrialists to the north, where they discovered the deep Kenai Bay, the shores of North America, described the shores of Alaska, the Kenai Peninsula, the coast of the continent to Cape St. Elijah and the islands of the Gulf of Alaska.
Shelikhov masterfully developed new lands: he built new settlements and fortresses (the first fortress on Kodiak Island was called Trekhsvyatitelskaya), raised imported livestock, started arable farming, and looked for minerals. Shelikhov repeatedly gave instructions to the company's rulers, navigators, and industrialists: “...immediately make a thorough inventory... describe large and small islands everywhere, bays, rivers, harbors, capes, laidas, ridges, field and visible stones, where in places there is what kind of land, that is, forests, meadows, properties, type and location of the land, in what place and at what time, what kind and in what quantity, what kind of land there is, where there are fish in the fishery, what they hunt for it, what kind of animals are there where , also at what time and how they hunt. Note all kinds of living plants... The main thing is to describe each vein, where and on which vein to know the number of people, and make a census of the male and female sex, the number of souls, with a description, although approximate, of who is what age. Every river, lake, housing, islands, in a word, every place in the inventory should be supplied with letters that will indicate the most accuracy on the plans. The names should be written according to the strength of the name of all the places of the local inhabitants; and do not disfigure with your names, so that everything can be found by the ranks of the inhabitants.”
Shelikhov encourages geographical research and all kinds of discoveries: he is given a bonus (over and above the company's fee) of 1000 rubles. for the discovery and description of each new island.
He also took care of the wide popularization of the riches of the new lands and their attractions in Russia, and of ethnographic research.
In 1786, leaving most of the people who arrived with him under the leadership of K. A. Samoilov, Shelikhov set off on the return journey, taking with him representatives of several Alaskan Indians, Aleuts, Eskimos, as well as various sights of America.
On his way to Kamchatka, he visited the Kuril Islands, collecting detailed information about the entire ridge and deciding to settle on these islands in the future.
In Kamchatka, Shelikhov met a ship of the English East India Company and started trading with it, leaving an order to his clerk to continue to maintain trade relations with foreigners if their ships were in Kamchatka.
From Kamchatka Shelikhov went to Okhotsk on dogs, detouring that bay of the Sea of Okhotsk, which later received the name Shelikhov Bay.
In the winter of 1787, Shelikhov arrived in Irkutsk, drew up a detailed memo to the Governor-General about his trip, attached several documents and instructions to his employees, drew up a project for organizing a monopoly American trade company with foreigners, and petitioned for the official annexation of the American coast to Russia.
Shelikhov’s note to the Governor-General served as material for the publication of the book “The Russian merchant of the eminent Rylsk citizen Grigory Shelikhov...” This book, published in 1791 without Shelikhov’s knowledge, was a huge success and was translated into English and German. In 1792, the second edition of this book, “The Russian merchant Grigory Shelikhov’s continuation of his wanderings...” was published.
In the note and in the projects, Shelikhov reveals a broad outlook: “... This trade through the Seas of Okhotsk and Kamchatka produces considerable profits for the treasury and traders, and since it can bring prosperity to the local region, since through this trade the high cost can be averted... will flow down there from everywhere merchants and every people, over time, numerous, and that most distant region will flourish to greatness and nobility in the light of commerce and cultivation of the land, ... further knowledge can spread to establish our borders along the North-Eastern Ocean to the most distant limits ... where yet... no European power has its own establishments.”
Shelikhov was one of the first to pay attention to the expansion of foreign voyages with the aim of seizing colonies in the Pacific Ocean and strenuously sought to get ahead of them.
In 1788, having secured the support of the Irkutsk Governor-General, Shelikhov and Golikov turned to Catherine IIwith a petition to approve a monopoly on American possessions, to allow trade with foreigners and the annexation of discovered new lands to Russia, as well as appropriations for further searches for new lands.
But at that time Russia was at war with Turkey and Sweden, and Catherine feared complications with England and China. Therefore, she rejected the projects presented by Shelikhov and Golikov and only ordered that the merchants be awarded swords and gold medals around their necks for their discoveries and diligence.
Understanding the award as approval of his actions, Shelikhov further expanded his activities to strengthen his possessions and explore the islands in America without government assistance.
He selected intelligent, energetic, and courageous sailors and leaders of the company's affairs in America. These rulers - first Delarov, then Baranov - expanded exploration of Alaska and the shores of America all the way to California. Navigators Izmailov and Bocharov discovered new islands and wrote their descriptions. Everything was done in detail, with the expectation of many years to come. Iron boards with the inscriptions: “Land of Russian possession” were installed everywhere on the banks. In many places, copper boards with the same inscription were buried in the ground. The coasts from Alaska to California were described, villages and fortresses were built in the most convenient places, and cattle breeding and arable farming were widely introduced. At the same time, Shelikhov instructed Baranov “to think of a machine with which it would be convenient to dig the ground.” Shelikhov took great care to ensure that the settlements were beautiful, with comfortable houses and clean air. He was especially concerned about the development of shipbuilding in America, fully understanding the importance of external relations and planning to send ships with goods to China, Malaya, Indonesia, and India.
In 1790 - 1793 Shelikhov, in addition to the Northeast American, organized three more companies: Predtechenskaya, operating on the Pribilof and Lisikh islands, Unalaskinskaya, located on the island of Unalaska, and North American, whose task was to create and strengthen settlements on the islands of the Bering Sea and on the northern, then completely unexplored coast of Alaska, as well as to find a sea or land passage to Baffin Bay.
Shelikhov also took the initiative in settling the Kuril Islands with Russians. In 1795, he sent 20 industrialists and four peasant families to the 18th Kuril Island (Urup).
Aware of the enormous importance for Russia of a strategic outpost in the form of the Kuril ridge, Shelikhov, despite Catherine’s warning IInot to start a dispute over these islands with other powers, took upon himself the courage and risk of securing the Kuril Islands for Russia.
Shelikhov's capital grew rapidly. In the shortest possible time, he became the richest merchant in Siberia, but at the same time his trade affairs were inextricably combined with the benefits for Russia and for geographical research. None of his contemporaries contributed so much initiative to the exploration of newly discovered lands at their own expense, to strengthening the borders of Russia and the development of new lands. He believed that the American possessions were to become a new region of Russia - "Slavorossia" - with cities, shipyards, industry and agriculture superior to Siberia.
American possessions, thousands of kilometers away from the center of Russia, required many different goods. Finding new convenient routes to America was one of Shelikhov’s most important concerns. Traveling through roadless Siberia and especially communicating with its northeastern outskirts was extremely difficult. In this regard, Shelikhov had the idea of finding and exploring part of the Northern Sea Route from the mouth of the Lena to North America and through the Bering Strait, and even about circumnavigating the world: “...As your Excellency knows, one thousand thirteen miles from Yakutsk to Okhotsk are being transported all the hardships... Yakuts on horseback... very often, due to the rainfall that occurs, they throw luggage on the road... since the places are empty, rocky and swampy and often impassable, so are the rivers... Things transported there by sea are not only cheaper... but always in sufficient quantity... can be delivered there...". He had already found people for the first task in 1790.
At the same time, he sought to improve existing ways of exploring the Far East. In November 1794, Shelikhov drew up a “most humble report” to the Irkutsk Governor-General I. A. Pil with a request to allow him to carry out an expedition to find a more convenient place for the construction of a port than Okhotsk, and also to give him “skilled people whom I would send could along the mane of that permanent ridge, which extends to the east from Baikal itself... from such an expedition this benefit will be that we will find out the location between the Amur and between the peaks of the Vitim, Olekma, Aldan and Mai rivers, for these places to this day remain completely unexplored by us and undescribed... And as such, the expedition must have all the necessary... benefits and expenses, then I accept these for myself and willingly sacrifice the required amount for the benefit of the fatherland...” But Shelikhov failed to carry out this expedition. Only Soviet people managed to describe these places and discover enormous mineral wealth in them.
Shelikhov was the initiator and organizer of A. Laxman's expedition to Japan in 1792, not only to establish trade relations, but also to describe Japan. Trade could not be established, but the expedition collected valuable information about Japan. In 1795 Shelikhov was preparing a new expedition to Japan. But this expedition did not take place, since on July 20, 1795, at the 48th year of his life, in full bloom and with amazing energy and breadth of activity, Shelikhov died in Irkutsk.
A worthy successor and continuer of Shelikhov’s work was A. A. Baranov, who continued to expand settlements and research in America.
Contemporaries and descendants had different assessments of Shelikhov as a personality and figure. There was often talk about his cruelty, the pursuit of personal benefits, the exploitation of the American population and exiles, etc. All this to some extent could have taken place, since it corresponded to the spirit of that time, but in general the activities of Shelikhov, an exceptional man for his age, a remarkable figure and patriot, was progressive and democratic. Concerns about the native population and the resettlement of Russians to America, who sought to get rid of serfdom, speak of the progressive direction of the colonization of Russian America. This is confirmed by the fact that the Decembrists showed great interest in Russian colonization in America. Some Decembrist sailors dreamed of making independent trips around the world on the company’s ships. The Decembrists Ryleev (former director of the Company), Kuchelbecker, Zavalishin, Romanov were associated with the activities of the Russian-American Company. The Company House at one time served as the headquarters of the Decembrists for their meetings; Meetings of the leaders of the Decembrists sometimes took place there.
Shelikhov's services to Russian geographical science are invaluable. His numerous instructions, projects, reports and requests, bold plans, descriptions of new lands, prudent orders of a state scale, instructions, which were programs for the geographical study of open lands, constitute an interesting work. Unfortunately, many documents characterizing Shelikhov as the organizer and leader of the first geographical descriptions and compiler of maps of North-West America and the adjacent islands and the first organizer of geographical research have not yet been sufficiently studied.
Derzhavin’s poems are carved on the monument to Shelikhov in Irkutsk:
“Columbus of Russia is buried here,
Said the seas, discovered unknown countries..."
On the other side of the monument are carved the words of I. I. Dmitriev:
“...Ross Shelikhov, without troops, without thunderous forces,
Flowed into America through stormy abysses...
Don't forget, descendant,
That Ross - your ancestor was loud in the east too.”
Source---
Domestic physical geographers and travelers. [Essays]. Ed. N. N. Baransky [and others] M., Uchpedgiz, 1959.
