Fort Ross (Russian: Форт-Росс, romanized: Fort-Ross, крепость Росс, krepost' Ross, Kashaya: Metini) is a former Russian establishment on the west coast of North America in what is now Sonoma County, California.

Russian colonial possessions in the Americas were collectively known as Russian America (Russian: Русская Америка, romanized: Russkaya Amerika; 1799 to 1867). It consisted mostly of present-day Alaska in the United States, but also included the outpost of Fort Ross in California.

Jan 31, 2025 · A Russian California would bar the advance of the Spanish American Empire, and might even push it back to the isthmus of Panama. To forestall the Russians, therefore, Spain moved into California and founded her first colony at San Diego in 1769. Russia was slow to reply. Her Empire was vast, and California lay beyond its remotest boundaries.

The Russian River (Southern Pomo: Ashokawna, Spanish: Río Ruso) is a southward-flowing river that drains 1,485 sq mi (3,850 km 2) [4] of Sonoma and Mendocino counties in Northern California.

Aug 29, 2020 · From Sacramento to Los Angeles, Spain’s colonial fingerprints are plain to see throughout present-day California. But did you know that in the 18th century, Tsarist Russia carved out her own...

This commercial company chartered by Russia's tsarist government controlled all Russian exploration, trade and settlement in the North Pacific, and established permanent settlements in Alaska and California.

Jul 5, 2012 · It’s a celebration that almost didn’t happen. In 2009, California, seeking to cut costs in the midst of a financial crisis, marked more than 200 state parks for closure. Among them was Fort Ross.

Nov 16, 2009 · Staking a tenuous claim to the natural riches of California, Russians dedicate Fort Ross on the coast north of San Francisco on September 11, 1812.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Northern California—then called Alta California and nominally under Spanish rule—saw the arrival of Russian, British, Prussian, and U.S. ships hunting whales and sea otters along the Pacific coast.

Fort Ross, one of the main tourist attractions between Bodega Bay and Fort Bragg, is a California State Historic Park showcasing a historic Russian-era fort compound that has been designated National Historic Landmark status.