You do not have permission to edit this page, for the following reasons:

This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia.
This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.

The IP address or range 44.200.0.0/16 has been blocked (disabled) by ‪Blablubbs‬ for the following reason(s):

The IP address that you are currently using has been blocked because it is believed to be a web host provider or colocation provider. To prevent abuse, web hosts and colocation providers may be blocked from editing Wikipedia.
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host or colocation provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
If you do not have any other way to edit Wikipedia, you will need to request an IP block exemption.

How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a colocation provider's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: ((unblock|reason=Caught by a colocation web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~)). You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host or colocation provider (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host or colocation provider.

Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and requests should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.

This block will expire on 16:45, 10 February 2025.

Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.

For information on how to proceed, please read the FAQ for blocked users and the guideline on block appeals. The guide to appealing blocks may also be helpful.

Other useful links: Blocking policy · Help:I have been blocked
Your IP address is in a range that has been blocked on all Wikimedia Foundation wikis. The block was made by ‪AntiCompositeNumber‬. The reason given is Open proxy/Webhost: Visit the FAQ if you are affected .
- Start of block: 13:55, 18 August 2022
- Expiry of block: 13:55, 18 March 2025
Your current IP address is 44.200.254.7. The blocked range is 44.200.0.0/16. Please include all above details in any queries you make. If you believe you were blocked by mistake, you can find additional information and instructions in the No open proxies global policy. Otherwise, to discuss the block please post a request for review on Meta-Wiki. You could also send an email to the stewards VRT queue at stewards@wikimedia.org including all above details.

You can view and copy the source of this page:

((Redirect|Fort Ross))
((more citations needed|date=November 2021))
((Infobox NRHP
| name                     = Fort Ross
| nrhp_type                = nhl
| image                    = Russian chapel at Fort Ross (2016).jpg
| caption                  =
| location                 = [[Fort Ross State Historic Park]], [[Sonoma County, California|Sonoma County]], [[California]]
| nearest_city             = [[Healdsburg, California]]
| coordinates              = ((coord|38|30|52|N|123|14|37|W|display=inline,title))
| locmapin                 = California#USA
| area                     =
| built                    = 1812
| architect                =
| architecture             =
| designated_nrhp_type     = November 5, 1961<ref name="nhlsum1">((cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=143&ResourceType=Building |title=Fort Ross|access-date = 2008-06-17 |work=National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher=National Park Service|url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071114222214/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=143&ResourceType=Building|archive-date = 2007-11-14))</ref>
| added                    = October 15, 1966<ref name="nris">((NRISref|2008a))</ref>
| refnum                   = 66000239
| designated_other1        = California
| designated_other1_date   = 1932<ref name=CHL>((cite ohp|5|Fort Ross|2012-10-15))</ref>
| designated_other1_number = 5
))
((euromericas))

'''Fort Ross''' is a former Russian establishment on the [[History of the west coast of North America|west coast of North America]] in what is now [[Sonoma County, California]]. It was the hub of the southernmost [[Russian America|Russian settlements in North America]] from 1812 to 1841. Notably, it was the first multi-ethnic community in northern California, with a combination of Native Californians, Native Alaskans, Russians, Finns, and Swedes.<ref name=":1">((Cite journal |last=Ballard |first=Hannah |date=1997 |title=Ethnicity and Chronology at Metini, Fort Ross State Historic Park, California |url=https://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/anthpubs/ucb/proof/pdfs/kas081-007.pdf |journal=Kroeber Anthropological Society Papers |pages=116–140))</ref> It has been the subject of archaeological investigation and is a [[California Historical Landmark]], a [[National Historic Landmark]], and on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. It is part of California's [[Fort Ross State Historic Park]].

==Etymology==

The present name of Fort Ross<ref>((cite book |title=The Russian Settlement in California Known as Fort Ross, Founded 1812...Abandoned 1841: Why They Came and Why They Left |author=Thompson, R. A. |year=1896 |publisher=Sonoma Democrat Publishing Company |location=Santa Rosa, California |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-v_J7UtEtkgC&q=fur+seal |page=3 |isbn=0-559-89342-6 |access-date=Jan 9, 2010))</ref> appears first on a French chart published in 1842 by [[Eugène Duflot de Mofras]], who visited California in 1840.<ref name="Historical Atlas of California"/> The name of the fort is said to derive from the Russian word [[Rus (name)|rus]] or ''ros'', the same root as the word "Russia" (((lang|ru|Pоссия)), ''Rossiya'') (Fort Ross ([[Russian language|Russian]]: Форт-Росс, [[Kashaya language|Kashaya]] ''mé·ṭiʔni''), originally Fortress Ross ([[Reforms of Russian orthography#19th-century changes|pre-reformed]] [[Russian language|Russian]]: Крѣпость Россъ, <small>[[Romanization of Russian|tr.]]</small> ''Krepostʹ Ross''), 
).<ref name="thompson1896">((cite book |last=Thompson |first=Robert A. |title=The Russian settlement in California known as Fort Ross, founded 1812, abandoned 1841: why the Russians came and why they left |publisher=Sonoma Democrat Publishing Company |year=1896 |series=Western Americana, frontier history of the trans-Mississippi West, 1550–1900 |volume=5369 |page=5))</ref> According to [[William Bright]], "Ross" is a poetic name for a Russian in the Russian language.<ref>((cite book |last=Bright |first=William |author-link=William Bright |author2=Erwin G. Gudde |title=1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning |year=1998 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |isbn=0-520-21271-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CET4QodMZysC |page=57))</ref>

==History==
Beginning with Columbus in 1492, the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish]] presence in the [[Western Hemisphere]] traveled west across the [[Atlantic Ocean]], then around or across the Americas to reach the [[Pacific Ocean]]. The [[Russian colonization of the Americas|Russian expansion]], however, moved east across [[Siberia]] and the northern Pacific. In the early nineteenth century, Spanish and Russian expansion met along the coast of Spanish [[Alta California]], with Russia pushing south and Spain pushing north. By that time, British and American fur trade companies had also established a coastal presence, in the [[Pacific Northwest]], and Mexico was soon to gain independence. Mexico ceded Alta California to the United States of America following the [[Mexican–American War]] (1848). The history of the Russian Fort Ross settlement began during Spanish rule and ended under Mexican rule.

=== Earliest people ===
The earliest people known to have lived at the site were there during the Upper Archaic period (1000 B.C. - A.D. 500) and the Lower Emergent period (A.D. 1000 - 1500), but the main occupation began at A.D. 1500 and continued through 1812. Archaeological and ethnographic evidence suggest that the Native Californians lived in large and mostly permanent villages. In summer months, they had "special purpose camps" they would go to in order to get certain resources. This area was one of such camps, used for its access to tidal and marine resources.

Ethnographic evidence suggests that the area where Fort Ross would be located was a large part of Kashaya Pomo territory. Their name for the site was "Metini". Their exact arrival date is unknown, but according to linguistic and archaeological data, they moved to Metini sometime between 1,000 and 500 B.C. Archaeological data shows that the Kashaya Pomo increased their subsistence activities upon arrival at this site and gained greater diversity in their tool kits.<ref name=":12">((Cite journal |last=Ballard |first=Hannah |date=1997 |title=Ethnicity and Chronology at Metini, Fort Ross State Historic Park, California |url=https://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/anthpubs/ucb/proof/pdfs/kas081-007.pdf |journal=Kroeber Anthropological Society Papers |pages=116–140))</ref>

===Russian-American Company===

Russian personnel from the Alaskan colonies initially arrived in California aboard American ships. In 1803, American ship captains already involved in the [[sea otter]] [[maritime fur trade]] in California proposed several joint venture hunting expeditions to [[Alexander Andreyevich Baranov]], on half shares using Russian supervisors and native Alaskan hunters to hunt fur seals and otters along the Alta and Baja Californian coast. Subsequent reports by the Russian hunting parties of [[terra nullius|uncolonized]] stretches of coast encouraged Baranov, the Chief Administrator of the [[Russian-American Company]] (RAC), to consider a settlement in California north of the limit of Spanish occupation in San Francisco. In 1806 the Russian Ambassador to Japan, and RAC director [[Nikolay Rezanov]], undertook an exploratory trade mission to California to establish a formal means of procuring food supplies in exchange for Russian goods in San Francisco. While guests of the Spanish, Rezanov's captain, Lt. Khvostov, explored and charted the coast north of San Francisco Bay and found it completely unoccupied by other European powers. Upon his return to [[Sitka, Alaska|Novoarkhangelsk]] (New Archangel), Rezanov recommended to Baranov, and the Emperor Alexander, that a settlement be established in California.<ref name="The Russian American Colonies"/>

((blockquote|This settlement [Ross] has been organized through the initiative of the Company. Its purpose is to establish a [Russian] settlement there or in some other place not occupied by Europeans, and to introduce agriculture there by planting hemp, flax and all manner of garden produce; they also wish to introduce livestock breeding in the outlying areas, both horses and cattle, hoping that the favorable climate, which is almost identical to the rest of California, and the friendly reception on the part of the indigenous people, will assist in its success. |source=From an 1813 report to [[Alexander I of Russia|Emperor Alexander]] from the Russian American Company Council, concerning trade with California and the establishment of Fort Ross<ref name="The Russian American Colonies">The Russian American Colonies</ref>))

Fort Ross was established by Commerce Counselor [[Ivan Kuskov]] of the Russian-American Company.<ref name="Destiny">The Destiny of Russian America</ref><ref name=Khlebnikov>Khlebnikov, K.T., 1973, Baranov, Chief Manager of the Russian Colonies in America, Kingston: The Limestone Press, ((ISBN|0919642500))</ref>((rp|83–84)) In 1808 Baranov sent two ships, the ''Kad'yak'' and the ''[[Russian schooner Sv. Nikolai|Sv. Nikolai]]'', on an expedition south to establish settlements for the RAC with instructions to bury "secret signs" (possession plaques). Kuskov, on the ''Kad'yak'', was instructed to bury the plaques, with an appropriate possession ceremony, at Trinidad, Bodega Bay, and on the shore north of San Francisco, indicating Russian claims to the land. After sailing into [[Bodega Bay]] in 1809 on the ''Kad'yak'' and returning to Novoarkhangelsk with beaver skins and 1,160 otter pelts, Baranov ordered Kuskov to return and establish an agricultural settlement in the area. After a failed attempt in 1811, Kuskov sailed the brig ''Chirikov'' back to Bodega Bay in March 1812, naming it the Gulf of Rumyantsev or Rumyantsev Bay (((lang|ru|залив Румянцева)), ''Zaliv Rumyantseva'') in honor of the Russian Minister of Commerce [[Nikolai Rumyantsev|Count Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantzev]].<ref>((cite book |title=History of Alaska: 1730–1885 |author1=Hubert Howe Bancroft |author2=Alfred Bates |author3=Ivan Petroff |author4=William Nemos |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_HQQTAAAAYAAJ |quote=rumiantzof. |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_HQQTAAAAYAAJ/page/n521 482] |year=1887 |publisher=A. L. Bancroft & company |location=San Francisco, California |access-date=Jan 10, 2010))</ref> <ref>((Cite journal |last=Glover |first=Jeffrey |date=2020 |title=The International Life of a Russian Colonial Document: The Russian-American Company, the Kashaya Pomos, the Bodega Miwoks, and the 1817 Métini Protocol |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/article/754030 |journal=Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=139–172 |doi=10.1353/eam.2020.0006 |s2cid=219054386 |issn=1559-0895))</ref> He also named the [[Russian River (California)|Russian River]] the Slavic River (((lang|ru|Славянка)), ''Slavyanka''). On his return, Kuskov found American otter hunting ships and otter now scarce in Bodega Bay. After exploring the area they ended up selecting a place ((convert|15|mi|km|0)) north that the native [[Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria|Kashaya Pomo]] people called ''Mad shui nui'' or ''Metini''. ''Metini'', the seasonal home of the Kashaya Pomo, had a modest anchorage and abundant natural resources and would become the Russian settlement of Fortress Ross.

Fort Ross was established as an agricultural base from which the northern settlements could be supplied with food, while also continuing trade with Alta California.<ref name="The Russian American Colonies"/> Yet during its initial ten years of operations the post "provided the company with nothing but heavy expenses for its maintenance."<ref>Tikhmenev, P. A. ''A History of the Russia-American Company.'' ed. Richard A. Pierce and Alton S. Donnelly. Seattle: University of Washington Press. 1978, p. 141.</ref> Fort Ross itself was the hub of a number of smaller Russian settlements comprising what was called  "Fortress Ross" on official documents and charts produced by the Company itself.<ref name="fcandsc">Fort Ross and the Sonoma Coast</ref> Colony Ross referred to the entire area where Russians had settled.<ref name="fcandsc"/> These settlements constituted the southernmost Russian colony in North America and were spread over an area stretching from [[Point Arena, California|Point Arena]] to [[Tomales Bay]].<ref name="Historical Atlas of California">Historical Atlas of California</ref> The colony included a port at Bodega Bay called Port Rumyantsev (((lang|ru|порт Румянцев))), a [[Seal hunting|sealing station]] on the [[Farallon Islands]] ((convert|18|mi|km)) out to sea from San Francisco, and by 1830 three small farming communities called "ranchos" (((lang|ru|Ранчо))): Chernykh (((lang|ru|Ранчо Егора Черных)), ''Rancho Egora Chernykh'') near present-day [[Graton, California|Graton]], Khlebnikov (((lang|ru|Ранчо Василия Хлебникова)), ''Rancho Vasiliya Khlebnikova'') a mile north of the present day town of Bodega in the [[Salmon Creek (Sonoma County, California)|Salmon Creek]] valley, and Kostromitinov (((lang|ru|Ранчо Петра Костромитинова)), ''Rancho Petra Kostromitinova'')<ref name="Historical Atlas of California"/> on the Russian River.
[[File:Vue de l'etablissement russe de la Bodega, à la Côte de la Nouvelle Albion, en 1828 (restored).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A view of Fort Ross in 1828 by A. B. Duhaut-Cilly. From the archives of the Fort Ross Historical Society]]

===Local enterprise===
In addition to farming and manufacturing, the Company carried on its [[fur trade|fur-trading]] business at Fort Ross, but by 1817, after 20 years of intense hunting by Spanish, American and British ships—followed by Russian efforts—sea otters had been practically eliminated from the area.<ref>((cite report |title=Archeological Research Issues for the Point Reyes National Seashore – Golden Gate National Recreation Area |author1=Suzanne Stewart |author2=Adrian Praetzellis |page=335 |url=http://www.sonoma.edu/asc/projects/pointreyes/overview4.pdf |date=November 2003 |publisher=Anthropological Studies Center, Sonoma State University |access-date=Jan 10, 2010))</ref>
[[File:View of Settlement Ross, 1841 (variation).jpg|thumb|upright=2|''Settlement Ross, 1841'', by [[Ilya Gavrilovich Voznesensky]]]]

Fort Ross was the site of California's first windmills and shipbuilding. Russian scientists associated with the colony were among the first to record California's cultural and natural history.<ref>Fort Ross Interpretive Association</ref> The Russian managers introduced many European innovations such as glass windows, stoves, and all-wood housing into Alta California. Together with the surrounding settlement, Fort Ross was home to [[Russian Empire|Russian subjects]] (which during the 19th and early 20th century included [[Russians]], [[Ukrainians]], [[Polish people|Poles]], [[Belarusians]], [[Finnish people|Finns]], [[Baltic Germans]], [[Estonians]], [[Lithuanians]], [[Latvians]], [[Georgians]], [[Circassians]], [[Tatars]], and numerous other nationalities and ethnic groups of the [[Russian Empire]]<ref>Pierce</ref>), as well as North Pacific Natives, [[Aleut people|Aleuts]], [[Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria|Kashaya]] ([[Pomo]]), and [[Alaskan Creoles]]. The native populations of the Sonoma and [[Napa County]] regions were affected by [[smallpox]], [[measles]] and other infectious diseases that were common across Asia, Europe, and Africa.  One instance can be traced to the settlement of Fort Ross.<ref name="Silliman 2004">Silliman 2004.</ref> However, the first [[vaccination]] in California history was carried out by the crew of the ''Kutuzov'', a Russian-American Company vessel arriving from [[Callao, Peru]] which brought vaccine to Monterey in August, 1821. The ''Kutuzov's'' surgeon vaccinated 54 persons. Another instance of disease prevention was when a visiting [[Hudson's Bay Company]] hunting party was refused entry to the Colony in 1833, when it was feared that a malaria epidemic which had devastated the [[Central Valley, California|Central Valley]] was carried by its members. In 1837 a very deadly epidemic of [[smallpox]] that came from this settlement via New Archangel wiped out most native people in the Sonoma and Napa County regions.<ref name="Silliman 2004"/>

=== Mexican response ===

Between 1824 and 1836 the Mexicans found during every exploratory effort north of present-day San Rafael and west of Sonoma increasing evidence of Russian presence. They discovered at least three Russian farms that had been established inland from Fort Ross. Governor [[José Figueroa]] wanted to counter the Russians' gradual encroachment in Northern California.<ref name="pinas">((cite web |title=The Pinas of Dry Creek |url=http://www.sonic.net/janosko/ourhealdsburg.com/history/pina.htm |website=www.sonic.net |access-date=14 April 2022))</ref> In 1834, he granted [[Rancho Petaluma]] to [[Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo]]. In 1835 he appointed Vallejo as Comandante of the Fourth Military District and Director of Colonization of the Northern Frontier, the highest military command in [[Northern California]], and encouraged him to build the [[Presidio of Sonoma]]. To extend the settlements in the direction of Fort Ross, Vallejo granted his brother-in-law, Captain [[John B. R. Cooper]], who had married his sister Encarnacion, [[Rancho El Molino]] (about ((convert|17892|acre|km2|adj=on))). The grant was confirmed by Governor [[Nicolás Gutiérrez]] in 1836.<ref>Ogden Hoffman, 1862, ''Reports of Land Cases Determined in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California'', Numa Hubert, San Francisco</ref>

Upon his arrival in Alta California in 1839, [[John Sutter]] was attracted to the land near the [[Sacramento River]]. To obtain the land and permission to settle in the territory, he went to the capital at [[Monterey, California|Monterey]] and requested a grant from [[List of pre-statehood governors of California|Governor]] [[Juan Bautista Alvarado]]. Alvarado saw Sutter's plan of establishing a colony in the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]] as useful in "buttressing the frontier which he was trying to maintain against Indians, Russians, Americans and British."<ref name=Dillion4>Dillion (1967), pp. 76–77.</ref> Sutter persuaded Governor Alvarado to grant him ((convert|48,400|acre)) of land for the sake of curtailing American encroachment on the Mexican territory of California. Sutter was given the right to "represent in the Establishment of New Helvetia all the laws of the country, to function as political authority and dispenser of justice, in order to prevent the robberies committed by adventurers from the United States, to stop the invasion of savage Indians, and the hunting and trading by companies from the Columbia (river)." He named the settlement [[New Helvetia]].<ref name="historynet.com">((Cite web|url=https://www.historynet.com/john-sutter-and-californias-indians.htm|title=John Sutter and California's Indians|date=June 12, 2006))</ref> In an 1841 inventory for [[John Sutter]] describes the settlement surrounding the fort: "twenty-four planked dwellings with glazed windows, a floor and a ceiling; each had a garden. There were eight sheds, eight bathhouses and ten kitchens."

=== Decline of Fort Ross ===

By 1839, the settlement's agricultural importance had decreased considerably, the local population of fur-bearing [[marine mammal]]s had been long depleted by international over-hunting, and the recently [[Mexican secularization act of 1833|secularized California missions]] no longer supplemented the agricultural needs of the Alaskan colonies. Following the formal trade agreement in 1838 between the Russian-American Company in New Archangel and Hudson's Bay Company at [[Fort Vancouver]] and [[Fort Langley]] for their agricultural needs, the settlement at Fort Ross was no longer needed to supply the Alaskan colonies with food. The Russian-American Company consequently offered the settlement to various potential purchasers, and in 1841 it was sold to [[John Sutter]], a Mexican citizen of Swiss origin, soon to be renowned for the discovery of gold at his lumber [[Sutter's Mill|mill]] in the Sacramento valley. Although the settlement was sold for $30,000 to Sutter, some Russian historians assert the sum was never paid; therefore legal title of the settlement was never transferred to Sutter and the area still belongs to the Russian people.<ref>[[Leonid Parfyonov|Parfyonov, Leonid]]. ''Rossiyskaia Imperia (Russian Empire)''. Vol. 3. (2004)</ref> A recent Sutter biography<ref>Albert L Hurtado. ''John Sutter'' (2006)</ref> however, asserts that Sutter's agent, Peter Burnett, paid the Russian-American Company agent William M. Steuart $19,788 in "notes and gold" on April 13, 1849, thereby settling the outstanding debt for Fort Ross and Bodega.

===20th century===
Possession of Fort Ross passed from Sutter through successive private hands and finally to George W. Call. In 1903, the stockade and about ((convert|3|acre|m2)) of land were purchased from the Call family by the [[California Historical Landmark|California Historical Landmarks Commission]]. Three years later it was turned over to the State of California for preservation and restoration as a state historic monument. Since then, the state has acquired more of the surrounding land for preservation purposes. California Department of Parks and Recreation as well as many volunteers put extensive efforts into restoration and reconstruction work in the Fort.

[[File:Fort Ross inside.jpg|thumb|left|Southwest blockhouse, with the well in the foreground]] [[File:Fortrosswell.jpg|thumb|Well]]

[[California State Route 1|CA 1]] once bisected Fort Ross. It entered from the northeast where the Kuskov House once stood, and exited through the main gate to the southwest. The road was eventually diverted, and the parts of the fort that had been demolished for the road were rebuilt. The old roadway can still be seen going from the main gate to the northwest; the rest (within the fort and extending northeast) has been removed. CA 1 moved to its current alignment sometime in the mid–late 1970s.

Most of the existing buildings on the site are reconstructions. Cooperative research efforts with Russian archives will help to correct interpretive errors present in structures that date from the Cold-War period. The only original structure remaining is the [[Rotchev House]]. Known as the "Commandant's House" from the 1940s through the 1970s, it was the residence of the last manager, [[Aleksander Rotchev|Aleksandr Rotchev]]. Renovated in 1836 from an existing structure, it was titled the "new commandant's house" in the 1841 inventory to differentiate it from the "old commandant's house" (Kuskov House). The Rotchev House, or in original documents, "Administrator's House", is at the center of efforts to "re-interpret" Russia's part in California's colonial history. The Fort Ross Interpretive Association has received several federally funded grants to restore both exterior and interior elements. While its exterior has been partially restored, its interior is currently undergoing restoration to reflect the recent research that shows a more cosmopolitan and refined aspect of colonial life at the Fort.

[[File:Interior of Fort Ross Chapel.jpg|thumb|left|Interior of Fort Ross Chapel.]]
[[File:Fort Ross 2010.ogv|thumb|Fort Ross living history day]]
[[File:Ft. Ross Chapel reconstruction.jpg|thumb| Artist's reconstruction of Chapel's appearance in 1841]]

The Fort Ross Chapel collapsed in the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake]] but much of the original structural woodwork remained and it was re-erected in 1916, but retained the appearance of the American ranch-period modifications when it was used as a stable.<ref name="interpretation1999">The American Interpretation of the Russian Colony at Fort Ross (1999)</ref> Several other restorations ensued, but none incorporated the information in Voznesensky's 1841 water-colour which portray the chapel with copper-clad cupola and tower, and red-metal roof.<ref name="interpretation1999"/> "The Fort Ross Chapel was found eligible for designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1969, architecturally significant as a rare U.S. example of a log church constructed on a Russian quadrilateral plan. An accidental fire destroyed the chapel on October 5, 1970. This loss of the original workmanship and materials of the chapel led to withdrawal of the Chapel's Landmark designation in 1971. A complete reconstruction of the chapel was undertaken in 1973 and the Fort Ross settlement, as a whole, retains its National Historic Landmark designation."<ref>((Cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/nhl/DOE_dedesignations/Ross.htm |title=Withdrawal of Fort Ross Chapel: National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL) |access-date=2012-09-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112061359/http://www.nps.gov/nhl/DOE_dedesignations/Ross.htm |archive-date=2012-11-12 |url-status=dead))</ref> The current chapel was built during the intensive restoration activity that followed, but retains the American ranch period appearance.

A large [[orchard]], including several original trees planted by the Russians, is located inland on Fort Ross Road in Sonoma County.<ref>((cite web |url=http://www.fortrossinterpretive.org/orchard.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713005230/http://www.fortrossinterpretive.org/orchard.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 July 2010 |title=Fort Ross Orchard Fort Ross Interpretive Association |date=13 July 2010|access-date=10 March 2019))</ref>

Fort Ross is now a part of [[Fort Ross State Historic Park]], open to the public.<ref>((cite web |url=http://www.fortrossstatepark.org/ |title=Fort Ross State Historic Park Russian Colony |publisher=[[California State Parks]] |access-date=2011-12-09))</ref> In addition to fishing, hiking, surfing, exploring tide pools, picnicking, whale watching, and bird watching,<ref>((Cite web |url=https://www.fortross.org/activities/reef-campground |title=Reef Campground))</ref> the Park has become a popular destination for [[scuba divers]], some of whom visit [[Fort Ross Reef]]. The wreckage of the SS Pomona<ref>((Cite web |url=https://www.fortross.org/history/ss-pomona |title=SS Pomona))</ref> lies just offshore Fort Ross State Park.

==Fort Ross Cemetery==
In 1990–1992 the Fort Ross Cemetery, located on a ridge adjacent to the settlement, was cleared and 135 gravesites were identified by archaeological excavations. The project was undertaken in collaboration with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), the Kodiak Area Native Association, the Kashaya Pomo, the Bodega Miwok, and the California Native American Heritage Commission.<ref>((cite web |author1=Lynne Goldstein |author2=Robert Brinkmann |date=2008 |url=https://www.fortross.org/lib/242/context-of-the-cemetery-of-fort-ross-multiple-lines-of-evidence-multiple-research-questions.pdf |title=Context of the Cemetery of Fort Ross |publisher=Fort Ross Conservancy |access-date=2018-04-21))</ref> The graves were mostly contained in the main cemetery, located across the fort and in view of the chapel; however, two grave sites were found outside of this area. Russian Orthodox tradition states that the deceased must be buried in view of a chapel, so it was unexpected to find people buried out of view of it. It is not known why these people were buried outside the main cemetery, but it is possibly because they were buried before the arrival of the Russian Orthodox community and their religious beliefs.<ref name=":0"/>

The cemetery served as a burial ground for both Russians and native people, showing no differentiation of rank or status. Out of the 135 graves excavated, 131 had human remains, and four were empty. The empty graves may have been due to poor preservation of human remains or possibly, the earlier removal of the human remains to a different grave site.<ref name=":0">((Cite journal|last=Goldstein|first=Lynne|date=2018-10-12|title=Decisions and Adaptations on the Frontier: The Russian Cemetery at Fort Ross, Northern California|url=http://revistas.jasarqueologia.es/index.php/APJournal/article/view/165|journal=AP: Online Journal in Public Archaeology|language=en|volume=8|issue=2|pages=25–54|doi=10.23914/ap.v8i2.165|s2cid=150139100|issn=2171-6315|doi-access=free))</ref> Based on the grave dimensions, it is estimated that half of the burials were children, who represented 47% of the population of Fort Ross by 1838. Studies show that disease was a common reason for death, as well as various accidents and drownings.<ref name=":3">((Cite journal |last=Parkman |first=E. Breck |date=1996 |title=Fort and Settlement: Interpreting the Past at Fort Ross State Historic Park |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25177617 |journal=California History |volume=75 |issue=4 |pages=354–369 |doi=10.2307/25177617 |issn=0162-2897 |jstor=25177617 |via=JSTOR))</ref>

Bodies were generally buried in redwood coffins, or at the very least, a cloth shroud. In 56% of graves, crosses or religious medallions were found. Other items that have been found in the graves have included buttons, glass beads, earrings, dishes, and cloth. Unfortunately, the bones were not preserved very well due to the soil having a high level of acidity. Furthermore, redwood tends to be acidic, so this contributed to the lower levels of bone preservation.<ref name=":0" />

In consultation with Reverend Vladimir Derugin of the ROC, researchers were able to confirm that the burial practices followed traditional Russian Orthodox canon and norms, despite having been conducted in a remote frontier outpost. At the conclusion of the project, all unearthed individuals were returned to their grave sites, and a religious reburial ceremony was conducted.<ref>((cite web |author=Lynne Goldstein |date=2012 |url=https://scahome.org/publications/proceedings/Proceedings.26Goldstein.pdf |title=The Cemetery at Fort Ross: What Does it Tell Us About Those Who Lived There? |publisher=SCA Proceedings |access-date=2018-04-21))</ref>

=== Conflicting views on the excavation ===
When archaeologists began excavating the cemetery, there were many stakeholders they had to consider. Fort Ross is owned by the state of California and is operated by the department of parks and recreation, so they had to give permission in order for the excavation to occur. Also, the Fort Ross Interpretive Association (FRIA), who work with the park to communicate the history to the public were a part of it. Since Native American remains were involved, archaeologists had to get permissions from the nearest descendants they could find; in this case, it was the Kashaya Pomo. Another group that had a part in the excavation was the Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA), because remains of Alaskan natives were buried in the cemetery. The Russian Orthodox Church was also involved because the fort was a Russian outpost; however, there were two separate groups within the church that both laid claim to the cemetery, so archaeologists consulted with them both as to avoid friction.<ref name=":02">((Cite journal |last=Goldstein |first=Lynne |date=2018-10-12 |title=Decisions and Adaptations on the Frontier: The Russian Cemetery at Fort Ross, Northern California |url=http://revistas.jasarqueologia.es/index.php/APJournal/article/view/165 |journal=AP: Online Journal in Public Archaeology |language=en |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=25–54 |doi=10.23914/ap.v8i2.165 |s2cid=150139100 |issn=2171-6315|doi-access=free ))</ref>

With all of these different groups involved, there were a few conflicting views on what to do with the remains and how to treat them. For instance, the Russians thought that everyone buried in the cemetery, including the Kashaya and Alaskan natives, were a part of the Orthodox religion, meaning they had converted. However, many of the Kashaya did not agree with this; they had oral accounts saying that the Kashaya had moved bodies from the Russian cemetery to be buried in a more traditional manner. (Kashaya traditional burial requires that the bodies be cremated.) While some elders were curious about the excavation, to see if the archaeological evidence supported their accounts of Kashaya being removed, the majority did not want their burials excavated. Archaeologists agreed, and said they would do their best to not excavate any Kashaya graves—and if they did, they would rebury them. Later analysis would show that none of the exhumed graves were Kashaya. In contrast, the Russians supported the excavations, but wanted all of the remains reburied in the graves from which they came.<ref name=":02" />

==Windmills at Fort Ross==
[[File:Replica of Windmill.jpg|thumb|upright|Miniature replica of windmill – ((transliteration|ru|italic=no|Stolbovki))]]
[[File:Detail of windmill1841.jpg|thumb|left|Detail of the windmill from ''View of Settlement Ross'' (1841) by Ilya Voznesensky.]]
Much archaeological research has been done at Fort Ross, more recently in search of the [[windmills]]. The historical record states there were at least three windmills, possibly four, although the fourth may have been a [[watermill]] or a man- or animal-powered mill.<ref name="oleksy2001">((cite book |last=Oleksy |first=Victoria |title=Where Have All the Windmills Gone? An Archaeological Study of the Locations of the Windmills and Threshing Floors at Fort Ross, California. |year=2001 |publisher=Saint Mary's College |location=California))</ref> The windmills have gained much attention because various accounts of their exact locations are sometimes inconsistent and vague.  There was, in fact, one windmill located not far from the northern end of the blockade, which was most likely used to grind wheat and barley flour.<ref name="oleksy2001"/>  Based on the descriptions given by people who visited Fort Ross, it has been concluded that the main windmill, located outside the blockade, was the traditional style Russian ((transliteration|ru|stolbovki)).<ref name="oleksy2001"/>  The root word "stolb" means thick vertical pole.

At the time, the only mills in California, which was under Spanish/Mexican rule, were either water or animal powered.<ref name="farris2000">((cite book |last=Farris |first=Glen |title=The Russian Windmills of Fort Ross |year=2000))</ref>  What made the Russian mills significant is that they were the first windmills in California.  The Russian ((transliteration|ru|stolbovki)) needed a very large center post which was sunk into the ground and supported the transverse pole.  The transverse pole was rotated by the wings of the mill that faced the wind current.<ref name="farris2000"/>  Archaeologists are searching for the remains of this center post, which would have left a significant indentation in the ground.

In October 2012 a modern interpretation of one of Fort Ross' windmills was erected and placed near the parking lot and visitors center of the State Historic Park. The windmill was built completely by hand, using the same methods that were presumed to have been used in the days of the Russian American settlement. Its pieces were constructed in Russia and shipped to California, where it was fully assembled and now stands as the only working Russian windmill of this style. It has been pointed out, however, that this is a replica of a 19th or early 20th century Vologda Province windmill, and only bears a slight resemblance to the windmill recorded at Fort Ross in 1841 by [[Ilya Voznesensky]]. In Voznesensky's painting the roof is hipped rather than peaked, and there is no roofed exterior porch on the upper left-hand side. The supporting cribbing is covered in the 1841 rendition, and the proportions are noticeably different. The placement near the parking lot at Fort Ross also conflicts with archeologists' views of the actual site of the windmill as portrayed by Voznesensky.

== The Fort Ross Archaeological Project ==
The Fort Ross Archeological Project began in the summer of 1988, directed by Professor Kent Lightfoot of the University of California, Berkeley. The purpose was to “examine the nature, extent, and direction of cultural change among native workers in a pluralistic, hierarchically structured, mercantile colony.” In addition to the Archaeological Research Facility and Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, the project saw collaboration with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Sonoma State University, Santa Rosa Junior College, the Sakhalin Regional Museum, and the Kodiak Area Native Association.<ref name=":4">((Cite journal |last1=Lightfoot |first1=Kent G. |last2=Wake |first2=Thomas A. |last3=Schiff |first3=Ann M. |date=1993 |title=Native Responses to the Russian Mercantile Colony of Fort Ross, Northern California |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/529951 |journal=Journal of Field Archaeology |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=159–175 |doi=10.2307/529951 |jstor=529951 |issn=0093-4690 |via=JSTOR))</ref><ref name=":3" />

In 1998 and 1989, an encompassing survey of the original 2.8 square kilometer property of Fort Ross Historic State Park was done to determine the size, layout, and archaeological components of native settlements, before and after the establishment of Fort Ross. After dividing the park into a dozen survey blocks in the area of the reconstructed stockade complex, a pedestrian survey of each respective block was undertaken to detect any archaeological remnants. Thirty sites were recorded, mapped, and underwent surface collection. Including the use of historical maps and any presence of temporally-sensitive project point and historical artifact types, several methods were used in determining the chronology of sites; however, this was done primarily by the hydration band measurements of obsidian artifacts. The Obsidian Hydration Laboratory of Sonoma State University completed research of the hydration rates of several local sources of obsidian. 329 obsidian artifacts were collected from Fort Ross sites and analyzed by the laboratory.<ref name=":4" /> Sites were dated from the range of 6000-3000 B.C. to A.D. 1812 and onward.<ref name=":3" />

Further lithic materials were analyzed, employing the use of artifact classes as published by the California Office of Historic Preservation. Faunal remains were identified to the most viable discrete taxon and element, with counts made of the minimum number of individuals.<ref name=":4" />

Of the 30 sites cataloged, 27 were used primarily by native Alaskans in addition to, or alternatively, native Californians. Of these 27, eight were determined to have belonged to the historical period including the Russian occupation of Fort Ross.<ref name=":3" />

=== Native Alaskan Village Site and Fort Ross Beach Site ===
Designated CA-SON-1897/H and CA-SON-1898/H respectively, the Native Alaskan Village site and the Fort Ross Beach Site are two sites of particular interest. The former is situated on top of a raised marine terrace and located 30 meters south of the Russian stockade, and the latter resides below the former, traversing a cliff face 30 meters long.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">((Cite journal |last1=Lightfoot |first1=Kent G. |last2=Martinez |first2=Antoinette |last3=Schiff |first3=Ann M. |date=April 1998 |title=Daily Practice and Material Culture in Pluralistic Social Settings: An Archaeological Study of Culture Change and Persistence from Fort Ross, California |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-antiquity/article/abs/daily-practice-and-material-culture-in-pluralistic-social-settings-an-archaeological-study-of-culture-change-and-persistence-from-fort-ross-california/EEA351A385BE0814C88035EC63E61E7E |journal=American Antiquity |language=en |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=199–222 |doi=10.2307/2694694 |jstor=2694694 |s2cid=164049146 |issn=0002-7316 |via=JSTOR))</ref>

The Native Alaskan Village site was the subject of an investigation into its spatial organization, seeing “topographic mapping of surface features, systematic surface collection and generation of artifact distribution maps, and geophysical investigations involving both magnetometer and soil resistance survey."<ref name=":5" /> The aforementioned surface collection resulted in the discovery of “glass beads, ceramics, projectile points, flakes, and worked bone artifacts over a 200 x 40 m area."<ref name=":4" />

In addition, 13 surface features were identified and mapped in the Native Alaskan Village site. Two of these were excavated, leading to the unearthing of portions of a set of pit houses. These were referred to as the East Central and South Pit features. A redwood fence line outside the South Pit feature was also discovered, as well as several contextually rich deposits which contained dense concentrations of faunal elements and artifacts, with two in particular being found in the field seasons of 1992 and 1993.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":3" /> Referred to as the East Central, South, and Abalone Dump “Bone Beds,” after extensive 3D mapping of these deposits, crews cataloged thousands of shells, bones, fire-cracked rocks, chipped-stone, ground-stone, glass, metal, and ceramic. These deposits led to the detection of several houses that had been abandoned, and thus were interpreted as being household dumps.<ref name=":5" />

The Fort Ross Beach site saw subsurface testing which led to the discovery of a wide range of faunal remains from domesticated, terrestrial, and sea mammals to fish, birds, and shells of several organisms. Among other finds, a multitude of historical ceramics, lithics, glass beads, glass beverage container fragments, bone artifacts were discovered, as well as debitage from bone tool production. Investigation led to the belief that the site was formed for the most part by activities which had occurred at the base of the cliff and from refuse being discarded over the cliff from the Native Alaskan Village.<ref name=":4" />

==Colonial administrators==
Fort Ross colony had five administrators:
*[[Ivan Kuskov|Ivan A. Kuskov]], 1812–1821
*Karl J. von Schmidt, 1821–1824
*Pavel I. Shelikhov, 1824–1830
*Petr S. Kostromitinov, 1830–1838
*((ill|Aleksander G. Rotchev|ru|Ротчев, Александр Гаврилович)), 1838–1841

==Derived place names==
Along with its status as a [[National Historic Landmark]], the fort itself and the surrounding area are part of [[Fort Ross State Historic Park]].  Fort Ross also designates the small rural community that exists between the towns of [[Cazadero, California|Cazadero]], [[Jenner, California|Jenner]], and [[Gualala, California|Gualala]], with the Fort Ross Elementary School at its center.<ref name="fcandsc"/>

==Milestones==

===16th and 17th centuries===
* 1542–1543: [[Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo]] visits [[San Diego]], [[Farallon Islands]], [[Cape Mendocino]], [[Cape Blanco (Oregon)|Cape Blanco]].
* 1579–1639: Russian frontiersmen penetrate eastward to Siberia and the Pacific.
* 1602: [[Sebastián Vizcaíno]] explores to the [[Columbia River]] region, naming the Farallon Islands, [[Point Reyes]] and the Rio Sebastian (present-day [[Russian River (California)|Russian River]]).

===18th century===
* 1728: Vitus Bering and Alexei Chirikov explore Bering Strait.
* 1741–1742: Bering and Chirikov claim Russian America (Alaska) for Russia.
* 1769: Gaspar de Portola traveling overland discovers San Francisco Bay.
* 1775: Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra anchors in outer Bodega Bay, trades with the local Indians.
* 1784: Russians Grigoriy Shelikhov and his wife Nataliya establish a base on Kodiak Island.
* 1799: [[Russian American Company]] (with manager Aleksandr Baranov) establishes Novo Arkhangelsk (New Archangel, now [[Sitka, Alaska]]).

===19th century===
* 1806: [[Nikolai Rezanov]], Imperial Ambassador to Japan and director of the Russian American Company, visits the Presidio of San Francisco.
* 1806–1813: American ships bring Russians and Alaska Natives on 12 California fur hunts.
* 1808–1811: [[Ivan Kuskov]] lands in Bodega Bay (Port Rumiantsev), builds structures and hunts in the region.
* 1812, March 15: Ivan Kuskov with 25 Russians and 80 Native Alaskans arrives at Port Rumiantsev and proceeds north to establish Fortress Ross.<ref>((Cite book |last=Khlebnikov |first=K. T. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1008363 |title=Baranov, chief manager of the Russian colonies in America |date=1973 |publisher=Limestone Press |isbn=0-919642-50-0 |location=Kingston, Ont. |oclc=1008363))</ref>
* 1812, September 11: The Fortress is dedicated on the name-day of Emperor Aleksandr I.
* 1816: Russian exploring expedition led by Captain [[Otto von Kotzebue]] visits California with naturalists [[Adelbert von Chamisso]], [[Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz]], and artist [[Louis Choris]].
* 1817, September 22: Russian Chief Administrator Captain [[Leonty Gagemeister]] concludes treaty with local tribal chiefs for possession of property near Fortress Ross. First such treaty concluded with native peoples in California.<ref>((Cite journal |last1=Spencer-Hancock |first1=D. |last2=Pritchard |first2=W. E. |last3=Kaliakin |first3=I. |date=1980-12-01 |title=Notes to the 1817 Treaty between the Russian American Company and Kashaya Pomo Indians |url=https://ch.ucpress.edu/cgi/doi/10.2307/25158003 |journal=California History |language=en |volume=59 |issue=4 |pages=306–313 |doi=10.2307/25158003 |jstor=25158003 |issn=0162-2897))</ref>
* 1818: The ''Rumiantsev,'' first of four ships built at Fortress Ross. The ''Buldakov,'' ''Volga'' and ''Kiakhta'' follow, as well as several longboats.
* 1821: Russian Imperial decree gives Native Alaskans and Creoles civil rights protected by law
* 1836: [[Innocent of Alaska|Fr. Veniaminov (St. Innocent)]] visits Fort Ross, conducts services, and carries out census.
* 1841, December: Rotchev sells Fort Ross and accompanying land to [[John Sutter]].<ref>((Cite journal |last=Mitchell |first=Kathryn |date=1984-01-01 |title=Fort Ross, Russian Colony in California, 1811-1841 |url=https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/3109 |journal=Dissertations and Theses |doi=10.15760/etd.3106|doi-access=free ))</ref>

===20th and 21st centuries===
* 1903: California Landmarks League purchases the ((convert|2.5|acre|ha|0|adj=on)) fort property from George W. Call for $3000.
* 1906: The fort is deeded to what becomes the California State Parks Commission.
* 1906, April 18: California's major historical earthquake causes considerable damage to the buildings of the fort compound.
* 1916: Fort Ross is partially restored.
* 1970: Fires at Fort Ross destroy the chapel and damage the roof of the Rotchev House.
* 1971: Fort Ross is once again only partially restored.
* 1974: Restored Fort Ross officially reopened.<ref>"The Navy of the Russian Empire", St. Petersburg, 1996, pg.207</ref>
* 1976–1979: [[California State Route 1|CA 1]] demolished the road in the middle of the fort.
* 2010: The Rotchev House is opened as a house museum
* 2010: Memorandum of Agreement signed in San Francisco between the State of California and [[Renova Group]], a Russian entrepreneurial company, whereby the Russian company undertakes to fund the continuing upkeep and operation of Fort Ross.
* 2012, March 15: Bodega Bay (Port Rumiantsev) celebrates its 200th anniversary as the main port of Russian California.
* 2012, April: The Russian River at Jenner celebrates its 200th anniversary of being named ''Slavyanka'' by Ivan Kuskov
* 2012, August: an American delegation visits [[Tot'ma]], Russia on its 875th anniversary and 200th anniversary of Fort Ross' founding by Ivan Kuskov, a Tot'ma native.
* 2012: Fort Ross State Historic Park celebrated is 200 year bicentennial of the Russian settlement in a historic two-day event that was attended by over 6,500 people. 
* 2012, September: The Kashaya expedition to Russia. An unofficial delegation from California was hosted in Russia marking the Kashaya's first ever trip to Russia.<ref>((cite web |url=http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/2306006-181/sonoma-county-group-in-russia |title=Sonoma County group in Russia exploring North Coast roots |date=8 September 2012 |website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|access-date=10 March 2019))</ref>
* 2012, October: A working interpretation of the original windmill was built and dedicated at the park.
[[File:Sha Izborsk 115.jpg|thumb|right|Transneft President Nikolay Tokarev]]

==Annual international conference on Russian–U.S. relations==
Starting from 2012,<ref>((Cite web |url=https://www.fortross.org/2012-dialogue.htm |title=Fort Ross Dialogue 2012 – Bicentennial Conference |website=Fortross.org))</ref> Fort Ross Conservancy has been hosting the Fort Ross Dialogue '''annual international conference''' on US–Russian Relations and Fort Ross Festival, co-sponsored by [[Transneft]], Chevron and Sovcomflot. '''The first Russia-based meeting''' within the framework of the Dialogue was held in [[Pskov]] (Russian Federation) on 29 and 30 May 2017.<ref>((Cite web |url=http://www.transneft.ru/newsPress/view/id/14535 |title=International Russian-American conference "The Fort Ross Dialogue" took place in Pskov and Izborsk on 29 and 30 May |website=Transneft.ru))</ref> The first day of the Forum was marked by the panel discussion "Towards each other: Russian trailblazers and American pioneers: similarities and dissimilarities of Russian and US experience in arranging museum operations, financing structure, role of the state and private business in promoting cultural sites". On the second day, the forum participants representing business circles and the expert community of Russia and the U.S. reviewed the interaction potential between the two nations in energy industry at the panel discussion "The energy sector as an important element Russian and USA geopolitics".

==Buildings==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|  style="text-align:center; width:100px;"|[[File:Kuskov House.jpg|100px]]
|'''Kuskov House''', located in the mid-eastern area of the fort, was the residence of Ivan Kuskov and the other managers up to Alexander Rotchev.
|-
|  style="text-align:center; width:100px;"|[[File:Rotchev House.jpg|100px]]
|'''Rotchev House''', located in the northwest area of the fort, was where Alexander Rotchev, the last manager of Fort Ross, lived with his family. Built circa 1836, it is the only remaining original building.
|-
|  style="text-align:center; width:100px;"|[[File:Officials' Quarters.jpg|100px]]
|'''Officials' Quarters''', located in the mid-western area of the fort near the gate.
|-
|colspan="2" style="padding:0; margin:0; border:none; border-collapse:collapse;"|
{| style="background:none; border-collapse:collapse;"
|-
|  style="text-align:center; width:152px;"|[[File:NW Blockhouse.jpg|52px]][[File:SE Blockhouse.jpg|100px]]
|Two '''blockhouses''' stand at opposite corners of the stockade. The first one pictured here is at the northeast; the second at the southwest.
|}
|-
|colspan="2" style="padding:0; margin:0; border:none; border-collapse:collapse;"|
{| style="background:none; border-collapse:collapse;"
|-
|  style="text-align:center; width:200px;"|[[File:FortRoss-chapel-reconstructed.jpg|100px]][[File:Ft. Ross religious service 1950s.jpg|100px]]
|Today's '''Holy Trinity St. Nicholas Chapel''',((cn|date=July 2023)) located at the southeast corner of the fort, is incorporated into the stockade. Different Russian Orthodox jurisdictions hold service in the reconstructed chapel three times a year (photo from a religious service during a Fourth of July San Francisco Russian community picnic in mid/late 1950s).  Archbishop John (Shakhovskoy) of San Francisco and Western North America is the senior cleric in the picture (second from the right).
|}
|}

==California State Landmark==
[[File:5FortRoss.jpg|thumb]] On June 1, 1932, Fort Ross was designated "California Historical Landmark #5".

=== Fort Ross State Historic Park ===
The 3,000 acre site was purchased in 1906 by the State of California, to preserve the archaeological remains of the area. Later, more land was purchased and the park now includes some of the surrounding lands which although not originally part of the compound, still hold valuable archaeological evidence.<ref name=":2">((Cite web |last=Parkman |first=E. Breck |date=1994 |title=Preserving the Fort Ross Archaeological Record |url=https://scahome.org/publications/proceedings/Proceedings.07Parkman1.pdf |access-date=))</ref>

Fort Ross is located on the coast, meaning it is vulnerable to erosion and other natural processes, such as acidic soil, wildfires, and even the destruction of animals like gophers. The other possible [[Disturbance (archaeology)|disturbance]] comes from cultural processes; that is, humans and their actions. Harmful activities include illegal collecting and, more generally, the wear and tear that occurs simply from people visiting the site.<ref name=":22">((Cite web |last=Parkman |first=E. Breck |date=1994 |title=Preserving the Fort Ross Archaeological Record |url=https://scahome.org/publications/proceedings/Proceedings.07Parkman1.pdf |access-date=))</ref>

==Climate==
[[File:Douglas iris fort ross california.jpg|thumbnail|left|A purple variety of the [[Douglas iris]] is a common sight in the area surrounding Fort Ross.]]
The [[National Weather Service]] has maintained a cooperative weather station at Fort Ross for many years.((Citation needed|date=December 2011))  Based on those observations, Fort Ross has cool, damp weather most of the year.  Fog and low overcast is common throughout the year.  There are occasional warm days in the summer, which also tend to be relatively dry except for drizzle from heavy fogs or passing showers. According to the [[Köppen climate classification]] system, Fort Ross has a warm-summer [[Mediterranean climate]] (Csb).

In January, average temperatures range from ((convert|57.0|°F|°C|abbr=on)) to ((convert|41.5|°F|°C|abbr=on)).  In July, average temperatures range from ((convert|66.3|°F|°C|abbr=on)) to ((convert|47.8|°F|°C|abbr=on)).  September is actually the warmest month with average temperatures ranging from ((convert|68.1|°F|°C|abbr=on)) to ((convert|48.7|°F|°C|abbr=on)).  There are an average of only 0.2 days with highs of 90&nbsp;°F (32&nbsp;°C) or higher and 5.8 days with lows of 32&nbsp;°F (0&nbsp;°C) or lower.  The record high temperature was ((convert|97|°F|°C|abbr=on)) on September 3, 1950.  The record low temperature was ((convert|20|°F|°C|abbr=on)) on December 8, 1972.

Average annual precipitation is ((convert|37.64|in|mm)), falling on an average of 81 days each year.  The wettest year was 1983 with ((convert|71.27|in|m)) and the driest year was 1976 with ((convert|17.98|in|mm)).  The wettest month on record was February 1998 with ((convert|21.68|in|mm)).  The most rainfall in 24 hours was ((convert|5.70|in|mm)) on January 14, 1956.  Snow rarely falls at Fort Ross; the record snowfall was ((convert|0.4|in|mm|adj=on)) on December 30, 1987.<ref>Weather Regional Climate Center website</ref>

((Weather box 
|location = Fort Ross
|single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 83
| Feb record high F = 79
| Mar record high F = 78
| Apr record high F = 86
| May record high F = 94
| Jun record high F = 88
| Jul record high F = 88
| Aug record high F = 87
| Sep record high F = 97
| Oct record high F = 97
| Nov record high F = 80
| Dec record high F = 76
| year record high F = 97
| Jan high F = 56.8
| Feb high F = 58.3
| Mar high F = 59.2
| Apr high F = 60.9
| May high F = 62.9
| Jun high F = 65.7
| Jul high F = 66.5
| Aug high F = 67.1
| Sep high F = 68
| Oct high F = 66.1
| Nov high F = 61.5
| Dec high F = 57.5
| year high F = 62.6
| Jan low F = 41.7
| Feb low F = 42.4
| Mar low F = 42.3
| Apr low F = 42.6
| May low F = 44.6
| Jun low F = 47
| Jul low F = 48
| Aug low F = 48.9
| Sep low F = 49
| Oct low F = 47.3
| Nov low F = 44.6
| Dec low F = 41.7
| year low F = 45
| Jan record low F = 22
| Feb record low F = 25
| Mar record low F = 26
| Apr record low F = 26
| May record low F = 30
| Jun record low F = 34
| Jul record low F = 35
| Aug record low F = 30
| Sep record low F = 34
| Oct record low F = 30
| Nov record low F = 27
| Dec record low F = 20
| year record low F = 20 | precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 8.48
| Feb precipitation inch = 6.81
| Mar precipitation inch = 5.38
| Apr precipitation inch = 2.72
| May precipitation inch = 1.39
| Jun precipitation inch = 0.58
| Jul precipitation inch = 0.08
| Aug precipitation inch = 0.15
| Sep precipitation inch = 0.63
| Oct precipitation inch = 2.39
| Nov precipitation inch = 5.17
| Dec precipitation inch = 6.83
| year precipitation inch = 40.62
| Jan precipitation days = 13
| Feb precipitation days = 12
| Mar precipitation days = 11
| Apr precipitation days = 7
| May precipitation days = 4
| Jun precipitation days = 2
| Jul precipitation days = 1
| Aug precipitation days = 1
| Sep precipitation days = 2
| Oct precipitation days = 5
| Nov precipitation days = 9
| Dec precipitation days = 12
| Jan snow inch = 0
| Feb snow inch = 0
| Mar snow inch = 0
| Apr snow inch = 0
| May snow inch = 0
| Jun snow inch = 0
| Jul snow inch = 0
| Aug snow inch = 0
| Sep snow inch = 0
| Oct snow inch = 0
| Nov snow inch = 0
| Dec snow inch = 0
| year snow inch = 0

|source 1 = <ref>((cite web |url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca3191 |title=FT ROSS, CALIFORNIA (043191) |access-date=November 18, 2015 |publisher=Western Regional Climate Center))</ref>
|date=November 2015
))

==Popular culture==
[[File:1991 CPA 6304.jpg|left|thumb|[[Soviet Union|Soviet]] 1991 postage stamp showing Fort Ross with an image of Kuskov]]
[[File:Stamp of Russia 2012 No 1633 Fort Ross.jpg|thumb|2012 Russian postage stamp showing Fort Ross]]
Fort Ross serves as the backdrop in the short story "[[Black Projects, White Knights|Facts Relating to the Arrest of Dr. Kalugin]]," part of [[Kage Baker]]'s series of [[science fiction]] stories concerning "[[Dr. Zeus Inc.|The Company]]".

Fort Ross is featured in a 1991 episode of ''[[California's Gold]]'' with [[Huell Howser]].<ref>((cite web |title=Living History – California's Gold (201) – Huell Howser Archives at Chapman University |date=9 May 1991 |url=https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/1991/05/09/living-history-californias-gold-201/))</ref>
((clear))

==See also==
* [[California Fur Rush]]
* [[Russian America]]
* [[Russian Fort Elizabeth]]
* [[Russian-American Company flag]]

== Notes ==
((Reflist))

== References ==
((Main|Bibliography of California history))
((refbegin|2|indent=yes))
* ((cite book |last=Alekseev |first=A.I. |year=1990 |title=The Destiny of Russian America 1741–1867 |publisher=The Limestone Press |location=Fairbanks, Alaska |isbn=0-919642-13-6))
* ((cite book |last1=Dmytryshin |first1=Basil |last2=Crownhart-Vaughan |first2=E.A.P. |last3=Vaughan |first3=Thomas |year=1989 |title=The Russian American Colonies 1789-1867 |publisher=Oregon Historical Society Press |location=Portland |isbn=0-87595-147-3))
* ((cite book |first=Derek |last=Hayes |year=2007 |title=Historical Atlas of California |publisher=University of California Press, Berkeley |location=Los Angeles, London |isbn=978-0-520-25258-5|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/historicalatlaso0000haye))
* ((cite book |last=Pierce |first=Richard |year=1984 |title=The Russian-American Company: Correspondence of the Governors, Communications Sent:1818 |publisher=The Limestone Press |location=Fairbanks, Alaska |isbn=0-919642-02-0))
* ((cite book |author=Fort Ross Interpretive Association |year=2001 |title=Fort Ross |publisher=Fort Ross Interpretive Association |location=Fort Ross, CA |isbn=1-56540-355-X))
* ((cite book |last1=Kalani |first1=Lyn |first2=Sarah |last2=Sweedler |year=2004 |title=Fort Ross and the Sonoma Coast |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=Charleston, SC |isbn=978-0-7385-2896-0))
* ((cite book |author=Nordlander, David J. |year=1994 |title=For God & Tsar: A Brief History of Russian America 1741–1867 |publisher=Alaska Natural History Association, Anchorage, AK |isbn=0-930931-15-7))
* ((cite book |author=Pierce, Richard |year=1990 |title=Russian America: A Biographical Dictionary |publisher=The Limestone Press |location=Fairbanks, Alaska |isbn=0-919642-45-4))
* ((cite book |author=Middleton, John |year=1999 |title=Русская Америка 1799–1867: The American Interpretation of the Russian Colony at Fort Ross |publisher=Российская Академия Наук, Москва |isbn=5-201-00533-0))
* ((cite book |last=Silliman |first=Stephen |year=2004 |title=Lost Laborers in Colonial California, Native Americans and the Archaeology of Rancho Petaluma |location=Tucson, AZ |publisher=University of Arizona Press |isbn=0-8165-2381-9))
* ((cite book |last=Hurtado |first=Albert |year=2006 |title=John Sutter:a life on the North American frontier |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=0-8061-3772-X|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/johnsutterlifeon00hurt))
* ((cite book |last=Osborn |first=Sannie |year=1997 |title=Death in the Daily Life of the Ross Colony: Mortuary Behavior in Frontier Russian America |publisher=A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, August 1997))
((refend))

== External links ==
((Commons|Fort Ross))
* [http://fortross.org Official Fort Ross Conservacy website]
* [http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=449 Official California State Parks website]
* [http://www.nps.gov/nhl/DOE_dedesignations/Ross.htm Withdrawal of Fort Ross Chapel: National Historic Landmarks Program]

((National Register of Historic Places in California))
((California history))
((Russian America))
((Sonoma County, California))
((Authority control))

[[Category:Colonial forts in California|Ross]]
[[Category:Colonial United States (Russian)]]
[[Category:Russian-American Company]]
[[Category:Russian forts in the United States|Ross]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in California]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Sonoma County, California]]
[[Category:Forts in California|Ross]]
[[Category:Fur trade]]
[[Category:History of Sonoma County, California]]
[[Category:Forts on the National Register of Historic Places in California|Ross]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Sonoma County, California]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1812]]
[[Category:1812 establishments in the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:Former Russian colonies]]
[[Category:Russian Empire]]
[[Category:Military facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Military history of California]]
[[Category:Russian-American history]]
[[Category:Russian-American culture in California]]
[[Category:Colonial architecture in California]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in California]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

Fort Ross (edit)
Fort Ross, California (edit)
Template:Abbr (view source) (protected)
Template:Ambox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Authority control (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Blockquote (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Blockquote/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Both (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:California/color (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:California history (view source) (semi-protected)
Template:California topic (view source) (semi-protected)
Template:Catalog lookup link (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Template:Citation needed (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite book (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite journal (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite ohp (view source) (semi-protected)
Template:Cite report (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Cite web (view source) (protected)
Template:Clear (view source) (protected)
Template:Cn (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Comma separated entries (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Commons (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Convert (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Coord (view source) (protected)
Template:Country abbreviation (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Delink (view source) (protected)
Template:Designation/abbreviation (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Designation/color (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Designation/colour (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Designation/text (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Euromericas (edit)
Template:Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Fix (view source) (protected)
Template:Fix/category (view source) (protected)
Template:Flatlist (view source) (protected)
Template:Hlist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:ISBN (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:ISO 3166 code (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:If empty (view source) (protected)
Template:Ill (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Infobox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Infobox NRHP (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Infobox NRHP/conv (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Infobox NRHP/locmapin2region (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Interlanguage link (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Lang (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Location map (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Main (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Main other (view source) (protected)
Template:More citations needed (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:MultiReplace (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:NRHP Focus (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:NRHP style (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:NRISref (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Namespace detect (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:National Register of Historic Places in California (view source) (semi-protected)
Template:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Template:Plainlist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:Portal-inline (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:R/superscript (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:R/where (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Redirect (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Refbegin (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Refbegin/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Refend (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Reflist (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:Rp (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Russian America (edit)
Template:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Template:Separated entries (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Short description (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description/lowercasecheck (view source) (protected)
Template:Side box (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Sidebar (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Sister project (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Sonoma County, California (edit)
Template:Str left (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Template other (view source) (protected)
Template:Tooltip (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Tooltip/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Transliteration (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:US county navigation box (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Weather box (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Yesno (view source) (protected)
Template:Yesno-no (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Yesno-yes (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Arguments (view source) (protected)
Module:Authority control (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Authority control/auxiliary (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Authority control/config (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Catalog lookup link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/blacklist (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/shared (view source) (protected)
Module:Check for unknown parameters (view source) (protected)
Module:Check isxn (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Citation/CS1 (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Commons link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Convert (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Convert/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Convert/text (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Coordinates (view source) (protected)
Module:Coordinates/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:DecodeEncode (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Delink (view source) (protected)
Module:Disambiguation/templates (view source) (protected)
Module:EditAtWikidata (view source) (protected)
Module:Exponential search (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/config (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/links (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/templates/Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Format link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:GetParameters (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote list (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:ISO 3166 (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:ISO 3166/data/National (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:ISO 3166/data/US (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:If empty (view source) (protected)
Module:Infobox (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Infobox/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:InfoboxImage (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Infobox mapframe (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Labelled list hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Lang (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Lang/ISO 639 synonyms (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Lang/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana languages (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana regions (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana scripts (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana suppressed scripts (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana variants (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Location map (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Location map/data/California (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Location map/data/USA (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Location map/data/USA California (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Location map/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Mapframe (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Math (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/ambox.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:MultiReplace (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Namespace detect (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/configuration (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/disambiguation (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/setindex (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/softredirect (view source) (protected)
Module:Plain text (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Portal (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Portal-inline (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Portal/images/h (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Redirect hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Module:Separated entries (view source) (protected)
Module:Side box (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Side box/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Sidebar (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Sidebar/configuration (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Sidebar/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:String (view source) (protected)
Module:String2 (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:TableTools (view source) (protected)
Module:Unicode data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Unicode data/scripts (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Unsubst (view source) (protected)
Module:Weather box (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Weather box/colors (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Weather box/row (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Wikitext Parsing (view source) (protected)
Module:Yesno (view source) (protected)

Return to Fort Ross, California.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ross,_California"