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October 5, 2019 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Fort Alexander

When we think of Russia’s interest in Hawai‘i, we initially (and, typically, only) think of what we refer to as “Russian Fort Elizabeth” in Waimea, Kauai.  However, Hawai‘i’s interactions with Russia go well beyond that, yet only short-lived.  (And, it really wasn’t a Russian fort.)

In the early-1800s, multiple foreign interests, including Russia, were developing trading relationships with Hawai‘i.  Hawai‘i served as an important provisioning site for traders, whalers and others crossing the Pacific.

The Russian story starts when three-masted Behring wrecked on the shores of Kauai’s Waimea Bay early on the morning of January 31, 1815.  The Behring had a load of seal skins/otter pelts bound for the Russian-American Trading Company in Sitka, Alaska.

Russian-American Company’s governor, Alexander Baranov, sent German-born Georg Anton Schäffer (1779-1836) to the Hawaiian Islands to retrieve the cargo (he wanted to exchange the furs for sandalwood.)

Schäffer first landed in Honolulu and, under the pretext of building a storehouse near Honolulu Harbor, began building a fort and raised the Russian flag.  Kamehameha had him removed and Schäffer then voyaged to Kauai.

There, King Kaumuali‘i, who had ceded Kauai to King Kamehameha I in 1810, had seized the Behring’s cargo and had the valuable pelts taken to his home in west Kauai.

Schäffer quickly gained favor with Kaumuali‘i – and, reportedly, Kaumuali‘i was considering joining forces with Russia to reclaim his rule from Kamehameha (that Kaumuali‘i had ceded over 5-years before.)

On May 21, 1816, and without the knowledge or approval of Czar Alexander Pavlovich, Kaumuali‘i signed a document that put Kauai under the protection of the Russian Empire.

In return, Schäffer promised Kaumuali‘i protection and an armed Russian warship to lead an attack on Kamehameha’s forces.  (Baranoff later informed Schäffer that he was not authorized to make such agreements.)

On July 1, 1816, Schäffer and Kaumuali‘i entered into a secret agreement to use Schäffer’s (purported) Russian authority to reclaim Kauai from King Kamehameha I, and also to launch expeditions against other islands that Kaumuali‘i felt he had a hereditary right to rule.

Kaumuali‘i had thoughts of conquering Maui, Lānaʻi, Moloka‘i and O‘ahu, which he felt to be his right based on lineage.

Subsequently, Kaumuali‘i gave Schäffer Hanalei valley and two or three other valuable pieces of land.  Schaffer  went  to  Hanalei  on  September  30  and  renamed  the  valley Schäffertal  (Schäffer’s  Valley.)

Schäffer began work on two earthen fortresses in Hanalei: Fort Alexander (named after the Czar Alexander and built in what is now Princeville – by the valet parking at the Princeville Resort); and Fort Barclay, named for Russian general Barclay deTooly and built nearer to Hanalei River.

Unlike Waimea’s Fort Elizabeth (with massive stone walls,) Fort Alexander had low earthen walls.  Schaffer’s main focus for the Russian-American Company was not Waimea, but Hanalei, and they spent most of their time around Princeville.

Schäffer’s grandiose gestures were not confined to fort-building.  He was also able to take possession of the ship Lydia and promptly gave the Lydia to Kaumuali‘i.

Meanwhile, rumors of Schäffer’s activities had filtered back to the Czar’s court. On November 21, 1816, Lieutenant Otto von Kotzebue arrived in Hawai‘i on the Russian Navy brig Rurik.

He repudiated Schäffer’s acts, informing King Kamehameha that Schäffer and Kaumuali‘i did not have the support of the Russian Emperor.

On May 8, 1817 the Russians were expelled from Hawai‘i; some of Schäffer’s men left for Sitka and Schäffer was provided safe passage from the Hawaiian Islands.

It wasn’t until August 1818 that all parties had agreed that Kauai had indeed been abandoned by the Russian-American Company, and for a couple of years following that, efforts were still being made to recover from the damage done by Schäffer.

An outline of the foundation of Fort Alexander may be seen on the lawn at the St. Regis Princeville Resort.

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Russian Fort Alexander Marker (panel 1)
Russian Fort Alexander Marker (panel 1)
Russian_Forts_on_Kauai
Site of Russian Fort Alexander
Site of Russian Fort Alexander
Russian Fort Alexander Markers
Russian Fort Alexander Markers
Site of Russian Fort Alexander
Site of Russian Fort Alexander

Filed Under: Economy, General, Place Names, Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks Tagged With: Fort Alexander, Fort Elizabeth, Hawaii, Kaumualii, Princeville, Russians in Hawaii, Schaffer

May 9, 2019 by Peter T Young 4 Comments

“Russian Fort”

It’s time to set the record straight. I join the long list of folks who have misunderstood and unknowingly have repeated the wrong information about a fort at Waimea, Kauai.

When I was DLNR Chair, and to today, the State Park is called “Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park”. The State has it wrong.

The National Park Service notes, “Russian Fort, located in Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park, in Waimea on the Island of Kauai, was built by the Russian American Company (RAC) in 1817.”

“The purpose of the fort was to establish a foothold for Russia in Hawaii by creating a fueling station in the Pacific Ocean and establishing a stable trading location for the shipping company.”

“The fort is a reminder of the short Russian venture into Hawaii between 1815 and 1817.” The feds have it wrong.

Yes, there was a Russian Fort on Kauai, but it was Fort Alexander at what is now known as Princeville on Kauai’s north shore.

Thanks to Peter Mills (Professor of Anthropology at the University of Hawaii at Hilo who has studied the fort extensively) we learn the true story of the “Russian Fort”.

Mills notes that what we call “Russian Fort” was actually built by Hawaiians for Hawaiians … not the Russians; “it was just a part of Kaumualiʻi’s own residential compound.”

“The construction was largely under Kaumualiʻi’s direction, and the labor force involved in constructing it was overwhelmingly Native Hawaiian (there is no record that Russians lifted a single stone to build it), with some designs supplied by Schaffer.”

“The Hawaiian name for the fort (pāpū) was Pāʻulaʻula and can be seen in Native Testimony provided by one of the Hawaiian commandants who was stationed there (Paele 6589 NT).”

“It was not completed while the Russians were there, and there is no evidence that Russians ever garrisoned it, while Hawaiians kept a garrison there for over 40 years.”

“If Hawaiians built it, and Hawaiians garrisoned it, then why on earth do people continue to say it is a ‘Russian Fort’ built by Russians? It was a Hawaiian Fort.” (Peter Mills)

The fort, originally with walls 20 feet high and built in an irregular octagon shape (in the shape of a star,) was fortified with several cannons.

“When Russian Fort Elisabeth became a state park in 1970, it was in a state of disrepair. The state outfit the site with some minimal signage, but the historical interpretation reflected on those signs was based on false history perpetuated by a troublesome 1885 map.” (Brittany Lyte)

“Drawn up by a Hawaiian government surveyor, the fort on the map includes dubious features, such as redwood buildings, glass-paned windows and a trading house. These labels amount to little more than fanciful guesswork, according to Mills.” (Brittany Lyte)

“The surveyor drew the fort as he imagined it looked at the time the Russians were there, which, of course, is an event that never happened,” said Mills, whose book “Hawaii’s Russian Adventure: A New Look at Old History” is an editor’s note to history misinterpreted. (Lyte)

The story about Russians on Kauai begins when the Russian ship ‘Bering’ became stranded on the shores of Kauai’s Waimea Bay on January 31, 1815. The ship’s cargo and the sailors’ possessions were confiscated by Kauai’s ruler, Kaumuali‘i.

The Russian-American Company (the owner of the ship and its cargo) sent Bavarian Georg Anton Schäffer to the Hawaiian Islands to retrieve the cargo or seek appropriate payment.

Later that year, Schäffer arrived in Honolulu. There, Kamehameha granted him permission to build a storehouse near Honolulu Harbor.

But, instead, Schäffer began building a fort and raised the Russian flag – that was in Honolulu. When Kamehameha discovered this, he sent several of his men to remove the Russians from O‘ahu, by force, if necessary. The Russians judiciously chose to sail for Kauai, instead of risking bloodshed.

Once on Kauai, Schäffer gained the confidence of King Kaumuali‘i, when he promised the king that the Russian Tsar would help him to break free of Kamehameha’s rule.

Although Kaumuali‘i had ceded Kauai to Kamehameha in 1810, he generally maintained de facto independence and control of the island, following his agreement with Kamehameha.

It is believed that Kaumuali‘i considered it possible for him to claim rule over Kauai, Ni‘ihau, O`ahu, Maui, Molokai and Lāna‘i, if he had Russian support. The Russians meanwhile were searching compensation for lost trade goods, as well as expanded trading opportunities.

Kaumuali‘i and Schäffer had several agreements to bring Kauai under the protection of Russia, as well as weapons and ammunition from Schäffer, in exchange for trade in sandalwood.

On May 21, 1816, and without the knowledge or approval of Czar Alexander Pavlovich, Kaumuali‘i signed a document that put Kauai under the protection of the Russian Empire.

In return, Schäffer promised Kaumuali‘i protection and an armed Russian warship to lead an attack on Kamehameha’s forces. (Baranoff later informed Schäffer that he was not authorized to make such agreements.)

On July 1, 1816, Schäffer and Kaumuali‘i entered into a secret agreement to use Schäffer’s purported Russian authority to reclaim Kauai from King Kamehameha I, and also to launch expeditions against other islands that Kaumuali‘i felt he had a hereditary right to rule.

Kaumuali‘i had thoughts of conquering Maui, Lānaʻi, Molokai and O‘ahu, which he felt to be his right based on lineage.

Subsequently, Kaumuali‘i gave Schäffer Hanalei valley and two or three other valuable pieces of land. Schaffer went to Hanalei on September 30 and renamed the valley Schäffertal (Schäffer’s Valley.)

In 1817, however, it was discovered that Schäffer did not have the support of the Russian Tsar. He was forced to leave Hawaii, and Captain Alexander Adams, a Scotsman who served in the navy of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, raised the Kingdom of Hawai‘i flag over the fort in October 1817.

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Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth visualization Molodin
Fort_Elizabeth_Location_Map
Fort_Elizabeth_Location_Map
Fort_Elizabeth_Location_Map
Fort_Elizabeth_Location_Map
Fort_Elizabeth_Location_Map
Fort_Elizabeth_Location_Map
Fort_Elizabeth_Location_Map
Fort_Elizabeth_Location_Map
Russian_Forts_on_Kauai
Russian_Forts_on_Kauai

Filed Under: General, Military Tagged With: Fort Elizabeth, Hawaii, Kauai, Kaumualii, Russians in Hawaii, Waimea

February 28, 2019 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Fort Kekuanohu

Russians arrived in Hawaii in 1804 on ships associated with the Russian-American Fur Trading Company stationed at what is now Sitka, Alaska, to obtain fruit, vegetables and meat.

During this timeframe, Hawai‘i served as an important provisioning site for traders, whalers and others crossing the Pacific.

On O‘ahu, in 1815, Kamehameha I granted Russian representatives permission to build a storehouse near Honolulu Harbor.

But, instead, directed by the German adventurer Georg Schaffer (1779-1836,) they began building a fort and raised the Russian flag.

They built their blockhouse near the harbor, against the ancient heiau of Pākākā and close to the King’s complex. There are reports that the Russians used stones from Pākākā in building their facility.

As a side note, Pākākā was the site of Kauai’s King Kaumuali‘i’s negotiations relinquishing power to Kamehameha I, instead of going to war, and pledged allegiance to Kamehameha, a few years earlier in 1810.

When Kamehameha discovered the Russians were building a fort (rather than storehouses) and had raised the Russian flag, he sent several chiefs, along with John Young (his advisor,) to remove the Russians from Oʻahu by force, if necessary.

The Russian personnel judiciously chose to sail for Kauai instead of risking bloodshed. On Kauai, there they were given land by Kauai’s King Kaumuali‘i; the Russian Fort Elizabeth was built soon after on Kaua‘i.

The partially built blockhouse at Honolulu was finished by Hawaiians under the direction of John Young and mounted guns protected the fort.

Its original purpose was to protect Honolulu by keeping enemy or otherwise undesirable ships out. But, it was also used to keep things in (it also served as a prison.)

By 1830, the fort had 40 guns mounted on the parapets all of various calibers (6, 8, 12 and probably a few 32 pounders.) Fort Kekuanohu literally means ‘the back of the scorpion fish,’ as in ‘thorny back,’ because of the rising guns on the walls. In 1838 there were 52 guns reported.

The fort protected Honolulu Harbor and also housed a number of administrative functions, including many years of service as Honolulu’s police headquarters. The first courts of the islands were held here until a new courthouse was built in 1853, adjacent to the fort.

Barracks, Officers’ quarters, the Governor’s House, prison cells, a guardhouse and several powder magazines were inside the 340-by-300-foot long, 12-foot high and 20-foot thick walls. The main entrance faced mauka, up Fort Street.

The fort’s massive 12-foot walls were torn apart and the fort dismantled in 1857 and used to fill the harbor to accommodate an expanding downtown.

Fort Street is one of the oldest streets in Honolulu and is named after this fort. Today, the site of the old fort is the open space called Walker Park, a small park at the corner of Queen and Fort streets (also fronting Ala Moana/Nimitz.)

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No._1._View_of_Honolulu._From_the_harbor._Burgess-(c._1854)
No._1._View_of_Honolulu._From_the_harbor._Burgess-(c._1854)
Louis_Choris_-_'Vue_du_port_hanarourou'-Port_of_Honolulu-1816
Honolulu_Fort_by_George_Henry_Burgess,_c._1857
Honolulu_Fort_by_George_Henry_Burgess,_c._1857
Fort of Honolulu-John_Colburn-visited Honolulu twice during the voyage-July 8-23, 1837 and May 31-June 10, 1839
Fort of Honolulu-John_Colburn-visited Honolulu twice during the voyage-July 8-23, 1837 and May 31-June 10, 1839
Interior_of_the_Fort,_Honolulu_Harbor-1830s-1840s
Interior_of_the_Fort,_Honolulu_Harbor-1830s-1840s
Honolulu_Fort_(PP-36-5-001)-1837
Honolulu_Fort_(PP-36-5-001)-1837
Honolulu Waterfront-Fort-Prison-Judiciary
Honolulu Waterfront-Fort-Prison-Judiciary
Dr. Thomas T. Waterman inspecting old cannon from the old Fort, Honolulu.-PP-37-4-008
Dr. Thomas T. Waterman inspecting old cannon from the old Fort, Honolulu.-PP-37-4-008
Canon from Honolulu Fort (Kekuanohu) (1816) which was demolished 1857.
Canon from Honolulu Fort (Kekuanohu) (1816) which was demolished 1857.
Fort_Elizabeth-visualization-Molodin-portion-400
Fort_Elizabeth-visualization-Molodin-portion-400

Filed Under: Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance, Buildings Tagged With: Fort Kekuanohu, Hawaii, Honolulu Harbor, Kamehameha, Kaumualii, Russian American Company, Russians in Hawaii

September 3, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Bering

“(A) direct acquaintance of the Russians with the islands occurred only in June 1804, when the ‘Hope’ and ‘Neva’, under the command of IF Krusenstern and Yu. F. Lisyansky, visited the archipelago in during his world tour.”

“Although Lisyansky was in the Hawaiian Islands for less than two weeks (from June 8 to 20, 1804), he managed to compile a very thorough picture of the state of the economy, trade, customs and life of the islanders, as well as the successful activities of the energetic King Kamehameha I.”

“Neva visited Otuwai Island (Kauai), where the Russian ship was visited by the King of Kaumuali‘i (To-Mari), speaking in English, complaining that Europeans seldom visit his possessions.”

“Lisyansky gave him a ‘flannel blanket and many other trifles,’ but the king was interested in the strip iron, paints, and most importantly – in defense from his opponent Kamehameha.”

“‘It was advisable for him,’ wrote Nikolai Korobitsin, the steward of the Russian Cancer Institute, ‘that we land our ship to his island to protect Evo from King Tomiomi, for which reason he even expressed the desire to “agree to act as his island in Russia’s citizenship’”.

“During the stay of the “Neva” in Hawaii, trade ties were established between the team and the islanders. Russian sailors exchanged clothes, axes, and iron for pigs and fruits, fully appreciating the importance of the archipelago as a food base for Kamchatka and Russian America.”

“The participant of the expedition VN Berkh noted later that every autumn it would be expedient to send a ship from Kamchatka to the Hawaiian Islands, where he could stay for the whole winter, and in May he could go back with a load of food.”

“According to contemporaries, Kamehameha had a special passion for the acquisition of naval ships. At his disposal were fifteen different ships, among which were not only small boats and tenders, but even large three-masted ships. He showed a keen interest in establishing trade relations.”

“Having learned that the Russian colonies lack food, the king let know AA. Baranov that he is ready every year to send a merchant ship with the cargo of pigs, salt, sweet potatoes and other food products to Novo-Arkhangelsk, if in exchange they receive ‘skins of sea otters at a reasonable price’”. (Bolkhovitinov)

“In 1813, just after the war between the United States and Great Britain, the governor of the Russian colony at Sitka, Alaska, purchased the Atahualpa, a ship that had been engaged in the naval activities of the war.” (He renamed it the Bering.)

“Previous to the discharge of the American captain and crew the ship was sent by the governor on a voyage to the ‘Sandwich Islands.’ Having sold a goodly portion of her cargo on the other islands, she visited Kauai for the purpose of trading with the natives.” (Mid-Pacific Magazine)

The Bering made its last stop at Waimea, Kauai, on January 30, 1815. At 3 am, the next morning, the ship ran aground in Waimea during a gale. (Mills)

“Most of the cargo on board was saved, and this was taken ashore and committed to the care of Kaumuali‘i, then the reigning chief of Kauai. He stored the goods, raised a little white flag to show that the building and its contents were tabu, and pursued the even tenor of his ways in peace.”

“In 1815 the Russian governor sent an agent, one Doctor Schoof (Schäffer,) to secure the property. He came to the islands as a passenger on the American ship Isabella. Captain Tyler. The Isabella was not bound for Kauai and the doctor landed at Kailua on Hawaii. After some weeks he secured passage to Kauai on the Millwood. Captain Eddes.”

“Kamehameha, then the king of the group, sent a messenger with Doctor (Schäffer,) with orders to Kaumuali‘i to deliver up the Russian property. He had kept it safely and delivered it promptly.”

“Although the bulk of the cargo consisted of powder and shot with some small arms, and notwithstanding that powder was in great demand for the killing of game, Kaumuali‘i held his trust sacred.”

“Shortly thereafter the Discovery, another Russian vessel, arrived with about 30 Kodiack Indians, half of whom were females.”

“The Governor of Alaska had heard there was an island northwest of Kauai, where there were herds of fur seals, and he had sent the Discovery and her crew on a sealing trip.”

“He failed to find either island or seals, and returned to Waimea. The captain had orders to leave the Indians in care of Dr. (Schäffer,) in case he failed to find the island and the seals, and proceeded on his voyage. It is not unreasonable to suppose that some of these Indians intermarried with the Hawaiians.”

“The Russian ship Myrtle, Captain Young, arrived shortly afterward, and also a Russian brig. These anchored at Hanalei. The arrival of these several Russian vessels caused the Hawaiians to believe that the Russians were preparing to seize the islands.”

“This suspicion was strengthened when Dr. (Schäffer) commenced to build a fort at Hanalei, where he had mounted several cannon.”

“(Schäffer) sold some powder to Kaumuali‘i, however, in exchange for sandal wood, and gave him a number of trifling presents.”

“A short time after the Doctor left, another Russian vessel arrived at Waimea. The captain was allowed to secure fresh water and purchase supplies but was advised that the climate of Kauai was not conducive to the health of Russians. He left.” (Mid-Pacific Magazine)

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atahualpa-bering
atahualpa-bering

Filed Under: Economy, Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks Tagged With: Atahualpa, Bering, Hawaii, Russians in Hawaii, Schaffer

August 5, 2018 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Wreck of the Bering

“Russians – or explorers hired by Russians – were curious about northeastern Asia and the American continent, wanting to know if the two were connected.”

“As early as 1648 Simeyon Dezhnev had passed through what would become known as Bering Strait ad into the Bering Sea. Dezhnev had discovered there was no land connection between Asia and America”.

“In 1728 Vitus Bering, a Dane in the service of Russia, sailed the same area, but at no time coming or going did he sight the American continent through the fogs and mists.”

“In June 1741 Vitius Bering tried again in the ship St Peter. On this terribly trying trip he did see the American mainland, but did not go ashore. On his way south Bering was shipwrecked a d died of scurvy.”

“Those who survived constructed a small boat from the wreckage of the St Peter. James Cook later used some of Bering’s charts in searching for the Northwest Passage.”

“The greatest commotion involving Bering’s second voyage did not result from the American continent, but rather from a book published by a German, George Steller, who was a naturalist aboard the St Peter.”

“In his book Steller gave the first descriptions of four previously unknown marine mammals – the fur seal, the sea otter, the sea lion and the sea cow.”

“The revelation of the existence of these creatures in large numbers brought Russian trappers, hunters and adventurers to the Aleutian Islands, to Alaska and down the Northwest Coast of America. Because of the profitable trade involved, the Russian American Company was founded.”

“In 1790 Alexander Baranov was named manager of the Russian American Company and was appointed governor of Russian America. … “

“The Russians would have preferred to keep the fur trade to themselves, but that was impossible … they could not guard the extensive coast … (and) the Russians received supplies on an irregular basis from ports far away. … The first Russian ships to visit Hawaii came in 1804.” (Joesting)

“From American and British traders who visited both the Russian settlements and Hawaii, the governor of the Russian company, Alexander Baranov, learned something about the resources and convenient location of the islands, and Kamehameha learned something about the needs of the Russians.”

“The general situation was obviously favorable to a useful commerce between the two places. Russian ships first visited the islands in 1804. but were not seen by Kamehameha.”

“A year or two afterwards. the latter made known to Baranov that he would “gladly send a ship every year with swine, salt. batatas [sweet potatoes], and other articles of food, if [the Russians] would in exchange let him have sea-otter skins at a fair price.” (Kuykendall)

“Shortly after, Baranov sent out (two) expeditions, American and British traders became embroiled in the War of 1812. With American and British ships pitted against one another, Baranov saw an opportunity for profit. Several American traders chose to sell their ships to Baranov at reduced prices rather than face the possibility that their ships would be captured or sunk.”

“Baranov had few available navigators, however, so American captains often continued to sail the vessels under contact to the RAC.”

“Baranov bought the Atahualpa and another ship, the Lydia, in exchange for twenty thousand sealskins in December 1813. The Atahualpa was renamed the Bering, after the leader of the first Russian expedition to reach Alaska. Its American captain, James Bennett, remained in command and sailed to Okhotsk to pick up the furs that were being used to buy the ship.” (Mills)

“The Bering sailed to Hawaii in late 1814 for a load of provisions destined for the North American colonies. After making stops at Kauai, Maui and Oahu, the ill-fated vessel made one land stop at Waimea, Kauai, on January 30, 1815.”

“At 3 am the next morning, the ship ran aground in Waimea Bay during a gale. The shipwrecked men were stranded on Kauai for more than two months, eventually receiving passage off the island on April 11, 1815 … Kauai islanders, under the rule of paramount chief Kaumuali‘i, retained the ship’s goods, including its cargo of furs”.

“It appears that Captain Bennett was livid about the whole affair. He proceeded to Sitka and advised Baranov to use force to retrieve the cargo. Baranov, however, chose diplomacy over force, sending Georg Anton Schäffer to Hawai’i on the American ship Isabella to resolve the situation.” (Mills)

Later that year, Schäffer arrived in Honolulu. Schäffer began building a fort and raised the Russian flag. When Kamehameha discovered this, he sent several of his men to remove the Russians from O‘ahu, by force, if necessary. The Russians judiciously chose to sail for Kaua‘i, instead of risking bloodshed.

Once on Kauai, Schäffer gained the confidence of King Kaumuali‘i, when he promised the king that the Russian Tsar would help him to break free of Kamehameha’s rule.

In 1817, however, it was discovered that Schäffer did not have the support of the Russian Tsar. He was forced to leave Hawai‘i, and Captain Alexander Adams, a Scotsman who served in the navy of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, raised the Kingdom of Hawai‘i flag over the fort in October 1817.

Eventually, over-hunting greatly diminished the number of sea otters and fur seals in the North Pacific. By the 1850s, New Archangel, which once owed its existence to the fur trade depended instead on a shipyard, a fish saltery, sawmills and an ice-exporting business.

The RAC and the Russian government no longer profited from the colony, instead focusing their main commercial activities on tea importing. The Crimean War highlighted Russian America’s vulnerability to attack by other European nations.

The Tsar decided to sell in 1867 rather than lose the territory in another war. The US States bought Alaska for $7.2 million, or approximately 2 cents per acre, and Russia ended its 126-year-old North American enterprise. (NPS)

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atahualpa-bering

Filed Under: Economy, General, Prominent People, Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks Tagged With: Alexander Baranov, Bering, Hawaii, Kauai, Russian American Company, Russians in Hawaii, Schaffer, Waimea

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