The sea off the coast of Sonoma County originates in the icy upper latitudes of the far north. It sweeps down the west coast largely unfettered; waves born of Alaskan storms wash ashore here. In the summer, northerly winds draw chilly water up from the depths of the sea which renders the water cold year round.
Compared to the wild
sea that stretches out beneath it, Fort Ross is a humble affair. And while the coast’s cool waters help keep our summers temperate, the P acific is also a force to be reckoned with – a lesson learned by Russian settlers at Fort Ross two hundred years ago.
When Russian settlers and Aleut laborers founded Fort Ross in 1812, it was intended to be a support system for explorations in Alaska. The Russian – American Company planned to develop a settlement in a location which could supply food, timber and other necessities to sailors. At first it seemed like a brilliant scheme. Within five months, workers erected a stockade. Within five years, farm buildings, vegetable gardens, orchards, bath houses, a windmill, bakery, cattle yard, threshing floor and cemetery sprang up. Fort residents – Russians, native Californians and native Alaskans- spent their time fishing, hunting, ranching, cultivating and manufacturing implements. At the mouth of the stream below the fort, they la bored in the shipyard, the forge, and the tannery.
“Listen! The mighty Being is awake
And doth with Iris eternal motion make
A sound like thunder – everlastingly”
- William Wordsworth
And yet the coastal weather-along with an increasing population of Spanish and American settlers-ultimately, rendered Fort Ross unprofitable. The settlement was abandoned thirty years after its inception, evidently with regret. One manager described the place as an “enchanting land,” and the time passed there the “best years” of his life.
The recreated buildings at the present-day Fort Ross look back to a simpler way of life. Before radar, ship-to-shore communication was limited to sight – where flags cold be flown to distinguish friend from foe. The fort perches 111 feet high above sea level, so the horizon is approximately 13 mil es away.
With a bit of imagination, it’s easy to step into the settlers’ shoes. On a clear day, stand at the fort and look out over the sea. Beyond where you can see-where th e curve of the earth stops your sight-the ocean stretches nearly 6,000 miles before washing ashore in Japan. Anything could appear on that horizon. At any moment, a storm could roll in destroying the year’s wheat harvest, The only thing that is certain is that the waves will continue to break.
Fort Ross Hours: 10AM to 4:40 PM daily.
Cost: $7 per vehicle, carpooling is encouraged.
Article courtesy of Farm Trails, an organization supporting agricultural diversity in Sonoma County for 36 years. For this and other articles about our area, order a free Farm Trails guide.