USA > California > Sonoma County > The Russian settlement in California known as Fort Ross; founded 1812, abandoned 1841. Why the Russians came and why they left > Part 3
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We will close these extracts with the conclusion that the astute, if not brilliant, governor-general was forced to reach after he had fully felt the pulse of the situation in California.
He says:
"Now, for fostering and matur- ing Brother Jonathan's ambitious views, Captain Sutter's establish- ment is admirably situated. Be- sides lying on the direct route be- tween San Francisco, on the one hand, and the Missouri and the Willamette, on the other, it virtu- ally excludes the Californians from all the best parts of their own country, the valleys of the San Joaquin, the Sacramento, and the Colorado. Hitherto, the Spaniards have confined themselves to the comparatively barren strip of land, varying from ten to forty miles in width, which lies between the ocean and the first range of mountains; and beyond this slip they will never penetrate with their present char- acter and their present force, if Captain Sutter, or any other ad- venturer, can gather round him a score of such marksmen as won Texas on the field of San Jacinto. But this is not all; for the Ameri- cans, if masters of the interior, will soon discover that they have a nat- ural right to a maratime outlet; so that, whatever may be the fate of Monterey and the more southerly ports, San Francisco will, to a moral certainty, sooner or later, fall into the possession of Ameri-
21
THE JOURNEY OF OTTO VON KOTZEBUE
cans-the only possible mode of preventing such a result being the previous occupation of the port on the part of Great Britain."
Sir George saw very clearly in the above forecast, for, six years after, the Americans took posse88- ion not only of the Fort of San Francisco but also of the entire province of California.
CHAPTER VIII.
The following account of a jour- ney made by the distinguished Otto Von Kotzebue in 1824 from San Ra- fael to Ross by land cannot fail to interest. The journey was made in the beautiful month of September.
Captain Von Kotzebue was a sailor, a scientist and a man of acute sensibility -- a splendid type of the aggressive Russian. One may read in this account between the lines a forecast of the ambition and love of country which since the time of the events described has 80 extended the territory, the wealth and the power of Russia.
It is also an interesting fact that Dr. Eschscholtz, for whom our State poppy flower was named, ac- companied his chief on the journey. They had both been previously on the coast on a former voyage and had reached Ross from the sea side of the fort. On that voyage was Adelbert Von Chamisso, the botanist, and he had then given the name of his shipmate and friend, Dr. Eschscholtz, to this most brilliant and conspicuous of all the California flowers, which
prophetically uplifted a cup of gold to the future owners of California, which the Russians then hoped to be.
But that very year, though Von Kotzebue did not then know it, Minister Rush had concluded a treaty in London with Russia, un- der which Captain Von Kotzebue's imperial master had agreed to make no settlement on the northwest coast of America south of 54:40 north latitude. This was really the first step in the acquisition of California by the United States. It shut out all Russian pretensions, and Russia was the only country besides the United States which could quickly occupy the country by actual colonization.
With a word of encouragement from the home government all of California north of San Francisco would have been Russian long be- fore 1846. The word never came. The treaty of 1824 had settled the question. But this was not known to Von Kotzebue, as, with his geni- al and brilliant conferee, Dr. Esch- scholtz, he followed his guide Mar- co along the beautiful shore of the bay, speculating upon its value to his country, past the Olompali (now Burdell's station ), up the San Antonio and through Two Rock valley to Bodega. The trail passed directly between the two split rocks which later on gave its name to the Two Rock country. What a splen- did waste it was in those warm September days ? The fat deer
22
DR. ESCHSCHOLZ A COMPANION ON THE JOURNEY
moved reluctantly from their path. The elk were scattered like cattle over the hills. The coyote sere- naded them at night, and the dreamy landscape, golden and green with grass and trees lay before the travelers just as it was shaped and colored by Nature's all-perfecting hand-well might it stir the sensi- tive heart and hand of a Von Kot- zebue. His account of the land journey to Ross is as follows:
"Indispensable business now summoned me to the establishment of the Russian-American Company called Ross, which lies about eighty miles north of San Francisco. I had for some time been desirous of performing the journey by land, but the difficulties had appeared insurmountable. Without the as- sistance of the commandant, it cer- tainly could not have been accom- plished; I was therefore glad to avail myself of his friendly dispos- ition towards me to make the at- tempt. We required a number of horses and a military escort; the latter to serve us at once as guides, and as a protection against the sav- ages. Both these requests were immediately granted; and Don Estudillo himself offered to com- mand the escort.
"My companions on this journey were Dr. Eschscholz, Mr. Hoffman, two of my officers, two sailors, Don Estudillo, and four dragoons, mak- ing altogether a party of twelve. On the evening previous to the day for our departure, Estudillo came
to the ship with his four dragoons, the latter well armed, and accoutr- ed in a panoply of leather. He himself, in the old Spanish cos- tume, with a heavy sword, still heavier spurs,a dagger and pistols in his belt, and a staff in his hand, was a good personification of an adventurer of the olden time. He assured us that we could not be too cautious, since we should pass through a part of the country in- habited by " los Indianos bravos ; " we therefore also made a plentiful provision of arms, and were ready, as soon as the first beams of morn- ing glimmered on the tops of the mountains, to set forward in our barcasse for the mission of St. Rafael, lying on the northern shore of the bay, whence our land journey was to commence.
"The weather was beautiful, the wind perfectly still, and the air enchantingly mild. An Indian named Marco, whom Estudillo had with him, served us as a pilot; for the Spaniards here, incapable, either through indolence or ignor- ance, of discharging that office, always employ an experienced In- dian at the helm.
" Don Estudillo, although ad- vanced in life, was a very cheerful companion, and one of the most enlightened Spaniards I have met with in California. He piqued him- self a little on his literary acquire- ments, and mentioned having read three books besides Don Quixote and Gil Blas, whilst, as he assured
23
VON KOTZERUE'S OPINION OF SAN FRANCISCO BAY
me .in confidence, the rest of his countrymen here had hardly ever seen any other book than the Bible. Marco had grown grey in the mis- sion; on account of his usefulness, he had been in many respects better treated than most of the Indians: he spoke Spanish with tolerable fluency; and when Estudillo en- deavored to exercise his wit upon him, often embarrassed him not a little by his repartees. This Marco affords a proof that, under favor- able circumstances, the minds even of the Indians of California are susceptible of improvement; but these examples are rare in the mis- sions.
"I confess I could not help spec- ulating upon the benefit this coun- try would derive from becoming a province of our powerful empire, and how useful it would prove to Russia. An inexhaustible granary for Kamtschatka, Ochotsk, and all the settlements of the American Company; these regions, so often afflicted with a scarcity of corn, would derive new life from a close connection with California.
The sun rose in full magnificence from behind the mountain, at the moment when, emerging from be- tween the islands which divide the northern from the southern half of the bay, an extensive mirror of water opened upon our view. The mission of San Rafael, the first stage of our journey, formed a dis- tinguished object in the background of the prospect, sloping up the sides
of the hills, the intervening flat land lying so low that it was not yet within our horizon. We had also a distant view towards the northwest of another newly-founded mission, that of St. Francisco Sala- no (Sonoma), the only one situated on the northern shore of the bay except San Rafael.
"The country at this side of the bay, chiefly characterised by gently swelling hills, the park-like group- ing of the trees, and the lively ver- dure of the meadows, is as agreeable to the eye as that of the southern coast. The water is pure and wholesome, which that at the Pre- sidio is not; we therefore laid in our ship's store here.
"The whole Bay of St. Francisco, in which thousands of ships might lie at anchor, is formed by nature for an excellent harbor; but the little creeks about the northwest coast, now lying to our left, and which I have since frequently visit- ed, are especially advantageous for repairs, being so deep that the larg- est vessels can lie conveniently close to the land; and an abun- dance of the finest wood for ship- building, even for the tallest masts, is found in the immediate neigh- borhood. The whole of the north- ern part of the bay, which does not properly belong to California, but is assigned by geographers to New Albion, has hitherto remained un- visited by voyagers, and little known even to the Spaniards resid- ing in the country. Two large
24
THE ARRIVAL AT ST. RAFAEL
navigable rivers, which I afterwards surveyed, empty themselves into it, one from the north, the other from the east. The land is extremely fruitful, and the climate is perhaps the finest and most healthy in the world. It has hitherto been the fate of these regions, like that o modest merit or humble virtue, to remain unnoticed; but posterity will do them justice; towns and cit- ies will hereafter flourish where all is now desert; the waters, over which scarcely a solitary boat is yet seen to glide, will reflect the flags of all nations; and a happy, prosperous people receiv- ing with thankfulness what prod- igal Nature bestows for their use, will disperse her treasures over every part of the world.
" A fresh and favorable wind brought us, without much delay from the opposing ebb-tide, to the northern shore. We left the common embouchure of its two principal rivers, distinguished by the steepness of their banks to the right, and rowing up the narrow channel which has formed itself through the marsh land, reached our landing-place just as the sun's disk touched the summits of the mountains in the west.
CHAPTER IX.
"We were still distant a good nautical mile from the mission of St. Gabriel (Rafael), which peeped from amongst the foliage of its ancient oaks. Many horses be- longing to the mission were grazing
on a beautiful meadow by the waterside, in perfect harmony with a herd of small deer, which are very numerous in this country. Our dragoons, who had no inclination for a long walk, took their la8808 in hand, and soon caught us as many horses as we wanted. We had brought our saddles with us, and a delightful gallop across the plain carried us to St. Rafael, where we we were received in a very hospitable manner by the only monk in residence.
"The locality of this mission, founded in 1816, is still better cho- sen than that of the celebrated Santa Clara. A mountain shelters it from the injurious north-wind; but the same mountain serves also as a hiding-place and bulwark for the Indianos bravos, who have al- ready once succeeded in burning the buildings of the mission, and still keep the monks continually on the watch against similar depre- dations. In fact, St. Rafael has quite the appearance of an outpost for the defense of the other mis- sions.
"The garrison, six men strong, is always ready for service on the slightest alarm. Having been driven from my bed at night by the vermin, I saw two sentinels, fully armed, keeping guard towards the mountain, each of them beside a large fire; every two minutes they rang a bell which was hung be- tween two pillars, and were regu- larly answered by the howling of
Janding at Fort Roes as it is To-day
25
THE JOURNEY FROM ST. RAFAEL
the little wolf I have before spoken of as often lurking in the vicinity of the missions. That there is not much to fear from other enemies, is sufficiently proved by the small number of soldiers kept, and the total neglect of all regular means of defense. The courage of these bravos seems indeed principally to consist in unwillingness to be caught, in flying with all speed to their hiding-places when pursued, and in setting fire to any property of the missions when they can find an opportunity of doing so unob- served. We saw here several of these heroes working patiently enough with irons on their feet, and in no way distinguishable in man- ners or appearance from their brethren of St. Francisco or Santa Clara.
"With the first rays of the sun we mounted our horses, and having passed the valley of St. Gabriel ( Rafael), and the hill which bounds it, our guide led us in a north- westerly direction further into the interior. The fine, light, and fer- tile soil we rode upon was thickly covered with rich herbage, and the luxuriant trees stood in groups as picturesque as if they had been dis- posed by the hand of taste. We met with numerous herds of small deer, so fearless, that they suffered us to ride fairly into the midst of them, but then indeed darted away with the swiftness of an arrow. We sometimes also, but less fre- quently, saw another species of
stag, (elks) as large as a horse, with branching antlers; these gen- erally graze on hills, from whence they can see round them on all sides, and appear much more cau- tious than the small ones. The Indians, however, have their con- trivances to take them. They fast- en a pair of the stag's antlers on their heads, and cover their bodies with his skin; then crawling on all-fours among the high grass, they imitate the movements of the creature while grazing; the herd, mistaking them for their fellows, suffer them to approach without suspicion, and are not aware of the treachery till the arrows of the dis- guised foes have thinned their num- ber.
1966181
"Towards noon the heat became so oppressive, that we were obliged to halt on the summit of a hill: we reposed under the shade of some thick and spreading oaks, while our horses grazed and our meal Was preparing. During our rest, we caught a glimpse of a troop of Indians skulking behind some bushes at a distance; our dragoons immediately seized their arms, but the savages disappeared without at- tempting to approach us. In a few hours we proceeded on our jour- ney, through a country, which pre- senting no remarkable object to direct our course, excited my aston- ishment at the local memory of our guide, who had traversed it but once before. Two great shaggy white wolves, hunting a herd of
26
THE TRAVELERS ARRIVE AT BODEGA
small deer, fled in terror on our appearance, and we had the gratifi- cation of saving the pretty animals for this time. In several places we saw little cylindrically-shaped huts of underwood, which appeared to have been recently quitted by Ind- ians, and sometimes we even found the still glimmering embers of a fire; it is therefore probable that the savages were often close to us when we were not aware of it; but they always took care to conceal themselves from the much dreaded dragoons and their lassos.
"In the evening we reached a lit- tle mountain brook, which, after winding through a ravine, falls into the sea at Port Romanzow, or Bod- ega. It was already dark, and though but ten miles distance from Ross, we were obliged to pass the chill and foggy night not very agreeably on this spot. In the morning we forded the shallow stream, and as we proceeded, found in the bold, wild features of the scene a striking difference from the smiling valleys through which we had travelled on the preceding day. The nearer we drew to the coast, the more abrupt became the preci- pices and the higher the rocks, which were overgrown with larch even to their peaked summits.
"We wound round the bases of some hills, and having with much fatigue climbed other very steep ascents, reached towards noon a considerable height, which rewarded us with a magnificent prospect.
Amongst the remarkable objects before us, the ocean stretched to the west, with the harbor of Romanzow (Bodega), which unfortunately will only afford admission to small ves- sels; the Russian settlement here, can therefore never be as prosperous as it might have been, had circum- stances permitted its establishment on the bay of St. Francisco. To the east, extending far inland, lay a valley, called by the Indians the Valley of the White Men (Santa Rosa). There is a tradition among them, that a ship was once wrecked on this coast; that the white men chose this valley for their residence, and lived there in great harmony with the Indians. What afterwards became of them is not recorded. On the northeast was a high moun- tain thickly covered with fir trees, from amongst which rose dark col_ umns of smoke, giving evidence of Indian habitations. Our soldiers said that it was the abode of a chief and his tribe, whose valor had won the respect of the Spaniards; that they were of a distinct class from the common race of Indians; had fixed their dwellings on this mountain on account of its sup- posed inaccessibility; were distin- guished for their courage, and pre- ferred death to the dominion of the Missionaries, into whose power no one of them has ever yet been en- trapped. Is it not possible that they may owe their superiority to having mingled their race with that of the shipwrecked whites?
27
THE RUSSIAN BETTLEMENT AT RO88
"Our road now lay sometimes across hills and meadows, and sometimes along the sands 80 near the ocean that we were sprinkled by its spray. We passed l'ort Ro- manzow, and soon after forded the bed of another shallow river to which the Russians have given the name of Slavianka (Russian river). Farther inland it is said to be deeper,and even navigable for ships; its banks are extremely fertile, but peopled by numerous warlike hordes. It flows hither from the northeast; and the Russians have proceeded up it a distance of a hun- dred wersts, or about sixty-seven English miles.
"The region we now passed through was of a very romantic though wild character; and the lux- uriant growth of the grass proved that the soil was rich. From the summit of a high hill, we at length, to our great joy, perceived beneath us the fortress of Ross, to which we descended by a tolerably convenient road. We spurred our tired horses, and excited no small astonishment as we passed through the gate at a gallop. M. Von Schmidt, the gov- ernor of the establishment, received us in the kindest manner, fired some guns to greet our arrival on Rus- sian-American ground, and con- ducted us into his commodius and orderly mansion, built in the Euro- pean fashion with thick beams.
"The settlement of Ross, situated on the seashore, in latitude 38° 33', and on an insignificant stream, was
founded in the year 1812, with the free consent of the natives, who were very useful in furnishing ma- terials for the buildings and even in their erection.
" The intention in forming this settlement was to pursue the chase of the sea-otter on the coast of Cal- ifornia, where the animal was then numerous, as it had become ex- tremely scarce in the more northern establishments. The Spaniards who did not hunt them, willingly took a small compensation for their ac- quiescence in the views of the Rus- sians; and the sea-otter, though at present scarce even here, is more frequently caught along the Cali- fornia coast, southward from Ross, than in any other quarter. The fortress is a quadrangle, palisaded with tall, thick beams, and defended by two towers which mount fifteen cannons. The garrison consisted, on my arrival, of a hundred and thirty men, of whom a small num- her only were Russians, the rest Aleutians.
" The Spaniards lived at first on the best terms with the new settlers, and provided them with oxen, cows, horses and sheep; but when in pro- cess of time they began to remark that, notwithstanding the infer- iority of soil and climate, the Russian establishment became more flourishing than theirs, envy and apprehension of future danger took possession of their minds; they then required that the settlement should be abandoned, - asserted
28
THE INHABITANTS OF ROSS
that their rights of domination ex- tended northward quite to the Icy Sea, and threatened to support their claim by force of arms.
The founder and then commander of the fortress of Ross, a man of penetration, and one not easily frightened, gave a very decided an- swer. He had, he said, at the com- mand of his superiors, settled in this region, which had not pre- viously been in the possession of any other power, and over which, consequently, none had a right but the natives; that these latter had freely consented to his occupation of the land, and therefore that he would yield to no such unfounded pretension as that now advanced by the Spaniards, but should be always ready to resist force by force.
"Perceiving that the Russians would not comply with their absurd requisitions, and considering that they were likely to be worsted in an appeal to arms, the Spaniards quietly gave up all farther thought of hostilities, and entered again into friendly communications with our people; since which the greatest unity has subsisted between the two nations. The Spaniards often find Ross very serviceable to them. For, instance, there is no such thing as a smith in all California; conse- quently the making and repairing of all manner of iron implements here is a great accommodation to them, and affords lucrative employ- ment to the Russians. The dra-
goons who accompanied us, had brought a number of old gunlocks to be repaired.
"In order that the Russians might not extend their dominion to the northern shore of the Bay of St .. Francisco, the Spaniards imme- diately founded the missions of St. Gabriel ( Rafael) and St. Francisco Salano (Sonoma). It is a great pity that we were not beforehand with them. The advantages of possessing this beautiful bay are incalculable, especially as we have no harbor but the bad one of Bodega or Port Romanzow.
* "The inhabitants of Ross live in the greatest concord with the Indi- ans, who repair, in considerable numbers, to the fortress, and work as day laborers for wages. At night they usually remain outside the palisades. They willingly give their daughters in marriage to Russians. and Aleutians; and from these uinons ties of relationship have arisen which strengthen the good understanding between them. The inhabitants of Ross have often pen- etrated singly far into the interior, when engaged in the pursuit of deer or other game, and have passed whole nights among different In- dian tribes, without ever having experienced any inconvenience. This the Spaniards dare not ven- ture upon. The more striking the contrast between the two nations in their treatment of the savages, the more ardently must every friend to humanity rejoice on entering Rus- sian territory.
29
THE INDIANS OF ROB8 AND THEIR HABITS
" The climate at Ross is mild. Reaumur's thermometer seldom falls to the freezing point, yet gar- dens cannot flourish on account of the frequent fogs. Some wersts far- ther inland, beyond the injurious influence of the fog, plants of the warmest climates prosper surpris- ingly. Cucumbers of fifty pounds. weight, gourds of sixty-five, and other fruits in proportion, are produced in them. Potatoes yield a hundred or two hundred fold, and as they will produce two crops a year, are an effectual security against famine. The fortress is surrounded by wheat and barley fields, which, on account of the fogs, are less productive than those of Santa Clara, but which still sup- ply sufficient corn for the inhabi- tants of Ross. The Aleutians find their abode here so agreeable, that although unwilling to leave their islands they are seldom inclined to return to them.
"The Spaniards should take a lesson in husbandry from M. Von Schmidt, who has brought it to an admirable degree of perfection. Im- plements, equal to the best we have in Europe, are made here under his direction. Our Spanish compan- ions were struck with admiration at what he had done; but what as- tonished them most was the effect of a windmill; they had never be- fore seen a machine so ingenious and so well adapted to the purpose. " Ross is blest with an abundance of the finest wood for building.
The sea provides it with the most delicious fish, the land with an in- exhaustible quantity of the best kinds of game; and, notwithstand- ing the want of a good harbor, the northern settlements might easily find in this a plentiful magazine for the supply of all their wants.
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