Russian Schooner Nikolai
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''Nikolai'' () was a
schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...
of the
Russian-American Company The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the Shelikhov-Golikov Company, United American Company. Emperor Paul I of Russia chartered the c ...
(RAC) sent by Chief Manager Alexander Baranov to the
Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long Oregon boundary dispute, dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been demarcat ...
in November 1808. The schooner was named in honor of
Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...
(, ); it is sometimes referred to as ''Sv. Nikolai''. During a storm she ran aground on the
Olympic Peninsula The Olympic Peninsula is a large peninsula in Western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...
. The crew quickly faced hostilities from the Hoh nation. Many of the crew became the willing slaves of the
Makah The Makah (; Makah: ') are an Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast living in Washington, in the northwestern part of the continental United States. They are enrolled in the federally recognized Makah Indian Tribe of the Makah I ...
nation after Makah nobles agreed to free them when the next European vessel entered the
Strait of Juan de Fuca The Strait of Juan de Fuca (officially named Juan de Fuca Strait in Canada) is a body of water about long that is the Salish Sea's main outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The Canada–United States border, international boundary between Canada and the ...
. An American ship visited
Neah Bay Neah Bay is a census-designated place (CDP) on the Makah Reservation in Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 935 at the 2020 census. It is across the Canada–US border from British Columbia. Europeans originally called ...
in the spring of 1810 and the RAC employees were freed and returned to Novo-Arkhangelsk. The failure of the vessel to locate a suitable location for a potential station in the
Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long Oregon boundary dispute, dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been demarcat ...
made RAC officials refocus efforts and eventually establish
Fort Ross Fort Ross (, , Kashaya: ) is a former Russian establishment on the west coast of North America in what is now Sonoma County, California. Owned and operated by the Russian-American Company, it was the hub of the southernmost Russian settlemen ...
in
Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...
. During their time marooned on the Olympic Peninsula, seven of the crew died.


Dispatched south

The ''Nikolai'' was originally made in the
Kingdom of Hawaiʻi The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands. It was established in 1795 w ...
for
Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; to May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii ...
and purchased for 150 sea otter skins. Baranov "ordered he ''Nikolai''to explore the coast south of
Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...
, barter with the natives for
sea otter The sea otter (''Enhydra lutris'') is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between , making them the heaviest members of ...
pelts, and if possible discover a site for a permanent Russian post in the Oregon Country." The vessel had a complement of 22, including Russian ''
promyshlenniki The ''promyshlenniki'' (, промышленник, ''promyshlennik'') were Russian and Indigenous Siberian artel members, or self-employed workers drawn largely from the state serf and townsman class who engaged in the Siberian, mariti ...
'', an
Englishman The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language, a West Germanic language, and share a common ancestry, history, and culture. The English identity began with the Anglo-Saxons, when they we ...
and seven
Alutiiq The Alutiiq (pronounced in English; from Promyshlenniki Russian Алеутъ, "Aleut"; plural often "Alutiit"), also called by their ancestral name ( or ; plural often "Sugpiat"), as well as Pacific Eskimo or Pacific Yupik, are a Yupik ...
. On , a
gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface wind moving at a speed between .
with large
wave In physics, mathematics, engineering, and related fields, a wave is a propagating dynamic disturbance (change from List of types of equilibrium, equilibrium) of one or more quantities. ''Periodic waves'' oscillate repeatedly about an equilibrium ...
s stranded the ship on a beach north of the
Quillayute River The Quillayute River (also spelled Quileute River) is a river situated on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. It empties to the Pacific Ocean at La Push, Washington. The Quillayute River is formed by the confluence of the Bogachiel River, Cala ...
and James Island. As with other RAC shipwrecks of the period, a mixture of officer incompetence, poorly trained crew, challenging weather, and low quality ship construction likely converged to cause the accident. Members of the
Hoh Water () is a polar inorganic compound that is at room temperature a tasteless and odorless liquid, which is nearly colorless apart from an inherent hint of blue. It is by far the most studied chemical compound and is described as the "univer ...
nation arrived that day, inspecting the stranded ship. As the Hohs investigated the Russian property,
Timofei Nikitich Tarakanov Timofei Nikitich Tarakanov ( 1774after 1834), also written Timofey Tarakanov, was born into serfdom near Kursk, Russia. His owner, Nikanor Ivanovich Pereverzev, sold him to the Russian-American Company (RAC) shortly after the company was created in ...
, an officer, instructed the ''promyshlenniki'' to peaceably remove the Hoh from their camp. Communication with the Hoh was commenced through
Chinook jargon Chinook Jargon (' or ', also known simply as ''Chinook'' or ''Jargon'') is a language originating as a pidgin language, pidgin trade language in the Pacific Northwest. It spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to othe ...
. Despite the peaceable intentions of Tarakanov, a Russian-instigated skirmish quickly arose. Three Hohs were killed and many of the ''Nikolai'' crew were injured by rocks and
spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...
s.


Crew marooned

In the aftermath of the fighting, the promyshlenniki "took two guns and a
pistol A pistol is a type of handgun, characterised by a gun barrel, barrel with an integral chamber (firearms), chamber. The word "pistol" derives from the Middle French ''pistolet'' (), meaning a small gun or knife, and first appeared in the Englis ...
, and we loaded all the boxes of cartridges, three kegs of
powder A powder is a dry solid composed of many very fine particles that may flow freely when shaken or tilted. Powders are a special sub-class of granular materials, although the terms ''powder'' and ''granular'' are sometimes used to distinguish se ...
" along with the remaining supply of provisions, and destroyed the remaining armaments aboard the ship. The party left the area for Grays Harbor, where the ''Nikolai'' was to rendezvous with another RAC ship. They continually monitored by Hoh scouts as they north traveled along the coast. On they reached the
Hoh river The Hoh River is a river of the Pacific Northwest, located on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. About long, the Hoh River originates at the snout of Hoh Glacier on Mount Olympus (Washington), Mount Olym ...
mouth, from the wreck site. The principal Hoh village was adjacent to the riverbank opposite of the ''Nikolai'' crew. Two canoes ferried a portion of the crew the next day. The larger vessel was intentionally sunk by Hoh canoemen in the middle of the Hoh river. The seven Russians on the canoe swam back to the bank where the remaining group was. Another battle ensued, with one Russian receiving a fatal wound from a spear. The Hoh kept the four passengers on the other canoe, two
Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...
s, one of the ''promyshlenniki'', and Anna Bulygina, the 18-year-old wife of expedition commander Nikolai Bulygin, as hostages. After this incident the free ''Nikolai'' staff began to aimlessly wander through the coastal forests. In despair from losing his wife, Bulygin appointed Tarakanov to lead the remaining party. Starvation quickly became an issue, temporarily allayed when a village was found on . The lodges were abandoned outside of one teenager, who informed them of the inhabitants fleeing upon becoming aware of their presence. Everyone present from the crew stole fish found at the village. An estimated 25 native warriors tracked down them soon after. While none of the crew were grievously injured in the ensuing fight, it pushed them into the interior. Another small village was eventually located, though the locals were not receptive to offering the large amount of supplies needed by the party. The natives were forced to accept a commercial transaction. In return for glass and metal beads, they traded bags of salmon and roe. The crew continued to search for a suitable location to create a cabin to weather the winter season. Eventually a small group of natives visited the shelter and the Russians took the son of a noble captive. The Russians demanded 400 salmon and 10 bags of roe for his release. A band of 70 natives during the next week delivered the provisions along with a canoe, with the Russians in return giving the noble several trinkets of clothing as a measure of goodwill. Bulygin resumed command of the party and they departed from the cabin on 8 February 1809. The party was led by a local to a river where individuals connected to the seizure of four party members were sighted. Two natives were taken hostage and the ''Nikolai'' crew demanded the return of their people. The Russians were informed that a neighboring chieftain had purchased the four people, but relatives of the native hostages agreed to work for their return.


Enslaved

A week later a band of 50
Makah The Makah (; Makah: ') are an Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast living in Washington, in the northwestern part of the continental United States. They are enrolled in the federally recognized Makah Indian Tribe of the Makah I ...
arrived, with Anna Bulygina among them. Anna stated that while she was a slave, Yutramaki, her owner, "was an upright and virtuous man, widely known along the coast. He honestly would set us free and send us to the two European ships cruising along the Straits of Juan de Fuca." The majority of the group agreed to become slaves, and were traded among nobles in several villages. The remaining party members were soon after forcibly enslaved by natives. Over the winter of 1809–1810 several promyshlenniki fled their masters for Yutramaki as they faced starvation. The Makah noble initially refused to return the Russians, but Tarakanov made their owners agree to better feed them. On 1810 an American maritime fur trade vessel, ''
Lydia Lydia (; ) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom situated in western Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. Later, it became an important province of the Achaemenid Empire and then the Roman Empire. Its capital was Sardis. At some point before 800 BC, ...
'' under Thomas Brown of Boston, visited Yutramakai's village on
Neah Bay Neah Bay is a census-designated place (CDP) on the Makah Reservation in Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 935 at the 2020 census. It is across the Canada–US border from British Columbia. Europeans originally called ...
. On board was a Russian from ''Nikolai'', having previously been resold south along the Columbia River. Captain Brown worked with Yutramakai to free the dispersed ''Nikolai'', and they were purchased by Brown by . ''Lydia'' departed for Novo-Arkhangelsk and arrived there on 9 June.


Assessment

When Tarakanov and the remaining crew returned to Novo-Arkhangelsk, his report to Baranov was influential in determining future company operations. The inhospitable picture given by Tarakanov led to future expansion efforts focused on
Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...
, with
Fort Ross Fort Ross (, , Kashaya: ) is a former Russian establishment on the west coast of North America in what is now Sonoma County, California. Owned and operated by the Russian-American Company, it was the hub of the southernmost Russian settlemen ...
founded in 1812. As historian Alton S. Donnelly reported,
"Tarakanov and his shipmates had not found a good harbor. They did not discover rich, untapped fur resources. Nor did they meet any Indian nations eager to do the Russians' bidding as clients of the Company... The Voyage of the Sv. Nikolai... could not reveal the fertile, open farmlands of the interior country ike the Willamette Valley">Willamette_Valley.html" ;"title="ike the Willamette Valley">ike the Willamette Valley.. Neither Baranov nor his successors took any further real interest in the Oregon Country after 1810."


References


Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nikolai Schooners Ships of Russia, Nikolai Russian-American Company, Nikolai History of the Pacific Northwest Oregon Country Pre-statehood history of Washington (state) Russian colonization of North America Maritime incidents in 1808 Shipwrecks of the Washington coast 1808 in North America 1809 in North America 1810 in North America