On August 14, 1784, two Russian ships of the Shelikhov-Golikov Company sailed into one of the bays of Kodiak Island. After dropping anchor, the men aboard the vessels set to work. In the eighteen months that followed, a village gradually took shape next to the shore of what was named Three Saints Bay. This village was both the first Russian settlement in the Western Hemisphere and the capital of Russia’s growing empire in the New World, one that would eventually establish a presence as far south as California and the Hawai’ian islands before the land was sold to the United States eight decades later.

In many ways the story of Russian America is one of the more obscure aspects of the early history of the United States. There are few who worked harder to change this than Hector Chevigny. A longtime author and radio dramatist, Chevigny wrote several books describing the history of the Alaskan territory and the lives of the Russians who played pivotal roles in it. This book, which is the last one he wrote before his death, serves as a coda to his efforts, providing a concise summary of Russia’s presence in North America, and how the vast colony was eventually sold to the United States.

After briefly sketching out the history of Russia’s relations with the peoples of Asia, Chevigny describes the development of Russian eastern trade and its early exploration of the north Pacific. Furs were the commodity driving both, as Russia was eager to find new sources for their burgeoning trade with China. Quickly exhausting the available supply of fur-bearing mammals in Siberia, Russian explorers began a tentative exploration of the Pacific in the early 18th century. It was these voyages which brought to Russia’s attention both the existence of Alaska and the large populations of prized sea otters there. Soon Russian vessels plied the waters of the Aleutians in the hunt for pelts, in which they reaped a profitable harvest.

It was the expanding European presence in the region which prompted enterprising Russians to take the next step. The key figure was Grigory Shelikhov, a boastful merchant who led the expedition that established the colony on Kodiak Island. That colony struggled, however, until the arrival in 1791 of Aleksandr Baranov as the new chief manager. Over the next quarter of a century the colony thrived under Baranov’s firm guidance, as he encouraged exploration, regulated relations with the local Tinglit people, and supported the establishment of a Russian Orthodox mission in the region. Yet throughout he battled the alternating indifference, preoccupation, and even outright hostility of the tsars, as well as the snobbery of the Russian naval officers who were the governmental presence in the region.

When he was relieved of his post in 1819, Baranov left behind a thriving colony. Yet formidable challenges lay ahead, as the Russians now faced growing British and American designs on the region. To this was added the dual threats of the decline of the local fur trade and the possibility of a takeover by the imperial government. Nevertheless, the colony thrived during this period, thanks to a new partnership with the British, which addressed longstanding financial issues and ensured a regular source of supplies for the colony. One of the strengths of Chevigny’s book is his attention to the role geography played in the development of the colony, particularly in how the distance from Saint Petersburg often forced the colony’s leadership to seek solutions on their own initiative. While this often ran contrary to imperial preferences, this nonetheless proved key to the colony’s success, with its sale to the United States in 1867 not a product of the colony’s unsustainability but of political preferences in the Russian capital.

As Chevigny reveals, the story of Russian America is one populated by remarkable individuals and seasoned by dramatic intrigue. He develops these elements to the fullest, providing his readers with a narrative that rarely flags in its ability to engage the reader. While dated in some respects and lacking in its coverage of the colony’s social history, it nonetheless serves as an enjoyable introduction to the history of Russia’s colonial enterprise and the men who built it. ( )

Russian treatment of the natives comes across as pretty grim, but the story is fascinating as a whole for its unfamiliarity. ( )