- Type
- Fortress
- Origins
- 1812 · 19th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- California, United States
- Coordinates
- 38.5144°, -123.2436°
History
Fort Ross was founded in 1812 by Ivan Kuskov of the Russian-American Company to grow food for the Russian colonies in Alaska. Alongside the Russians lived Alaska Natives brought to hunt sea otters, as well as the local Kashaya Pomo. The settlement had a shipyard and the first windmill in California. Farming fell short of hopes, however, and the otters were nearly wiped out, so in 1841 the Russians sold the fort to John Sutter. The land later passed to ranchers, and since 1906 it has been a state historic park.
What to see
Behind the timber palisade with its two blockhouses stand buildings reconstructed from old plans: the Orthodox chapel, manager Kuskov's house and the officials' quarters. The only original building is the house of the last manager, Alexander Rotchev. The fort sits on a grassy terrace above the Pacific, and a Russian cemetery survives nearby.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q1278115
Popularity: articles about this site in 34 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).