Ivan Kuskov

The following is an extract from a children's tract given out at Fort Roshiya:

Privet! My name is Ivan Kuskov, founder of Fort Roshiya. I was born in Toþema (*), Russia in 1765 and I have almond skin, cinnamon hair, and sea-colored eyes. Although history knows me as a Russian, I am actually a Vozgian, and my real name is Ivan Kušchuo. I came to Settlement Roshiya by ship three times: 1808, May of 1810, and my biggest expedition in November of 1811.

When my good friend Alexander Baronov sent me on my first expedition to Settlement Roshiya (then just known as California) with two ships, one was wrecked and the other boat was safe which I was on. I explored along the coast of California and on December 15, went to what the Spanish called Bodega Bay where my crew and I stayed hunting and exploring. We left on August 2, 1809. When I arrived back in Alyaska, I told of the riches that California held and that I had found a site for a settlement near Bodega Bay.

When I went on my third expedition to California (May of 1810), I tried to hunt except my ship, the Juno, was attacked by Kolosh Indians with the help of a trader from the NAL named Samuel Hill. Eight Aleuts were killed and I went back to Sitka except on the way back my crew and I ran into a terrible storm and the ship lost one of its masts, an anchor, food, three guns, and two men who were swept overboard.

When I went on my third expedition to California (November of 1811), I was 46 years old and it was my biggest expedition because Baronov sent me to start a settlement in California called Settlement or Colony Roshiya (now part of Meidji-Do). I took along 25 Russian artisans, materials needed to build the fort, and a group of 80 Aleuts with 40 baidarkas for hunting sea otters. It was a very exciting trip but very long so I had to be patient. Luckily, we didn't get attacked like I did on my second voyage.

When the fort was being built I was very happy and excited but when it was done, I was happier. Even though I didn't live with any family members I had two good friends Alexander Baronov and his son Antipatr Baronov. My job at the fort was to make sure everything was going well or, in other words, to be the founder. In my free time, I would visit my friends Alexander and Atipatr.

After 31 years of being at Settlement Roshiya and Alyaska, I was finally going home. In 1822, I left Russian America. When I arrived at St. Petersburg I was given 58,425 rubles and 23 kopecks. I also had six sea otter pelts for another 7,000 rubles. I returned to Toþema where I live with my wife Ekaterina Prokhorovna Kuskova.

Ivan Alexander Kuskov lived with his wife until he died in October 1823.

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(*) Toþema (Tot'ma in Russian) is the Vozgian Republic's spiritual center. It is the most Vozgian of all Vozgian cities, especially compared to the Republic's heavily russified capital Vuolokta (Vologda). It is also the place where the purest form of Vozgian is spoken, and the literary language is mostly based on the Tothmian and the Bersian (closely related and located Southeast of it) dialects.