When we think about colonial American history we think about the colonies of the English, the Dutch, the French, and the Spanish. Rarely do we think about the colonies of the Russians. And yet Russia had colonies in North America.
Gwenn Miller, an Associate Professor of History at the College of the Holy Cross, joins us to investigate a history of Russia’s colonies in North America with details from her book Kodiak Kreol: Communities of Empire in Early Russian America.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.
Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.
Episode Summary
Gwenn Miller, an Associate Professor of History at the College of the Holy Cross, joins us to investigate a history of Russia’s colonies in North America with details from her book Kodiak Kreol: Communities of Empire in Early Russian America.
As we explore Russian America, Gwenn reveals why Russia chose to establish colonies in Alaska in 1784; The history of the Alutiiq people of Kodiak Island and the role they played in Russia’s colonial ambitions; And, details about the Russian fur trade and the important role it played in Russia’s colonization of North America.
What You’ll Discover
- Russia’s plan to establish colonies in North America
- Russia’s colonization of Alaska in 1784
- Why we don’t know a lot about Russian America
- Types of historical sources about Russian America
- Kodiak Island
- The Alutiiq people of Kodiak Island
- The extensive trade network of the Alutiiq
- Why the Russians made their way to Kodiak Island
- Vitus Bering
- Relations between the Alutiiq and Russian fur traders
- The Russian fur trade
- Hunting for sea otter
- Relations between Russian colonists and the Alutiiq
- Impact of the colonists’ gender imbalance
- Kodiak kreols
- Catherine the Great and Alaska
- The governance of Russian America
- The role the Russian Orthodox Church played in North American colonization
- The Russian American Company
- The end of Russian America
Links to People, Places, and Publications
Meet Ups & Talks
- Albany, New York: April 25 at the New York State Cultural Education Center. Meet up at pre-talk reception
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin: April 29, 6pm at Zaffiro’s Pizza
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin: April 30, 6pm free public talk at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Golda Meir Library
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Complementary Episodes
- Episode 021: Eugene Tesdhal, Smuggling in Colonial America & Living History
- Episode 163: The American Revolution in North America
- Episode 184: David Silverman, Thundersticks: Firearms and the Violent Transformation of Native America
- Episode 223: Susan Sleeper-Smith, A Native American History of the Ohio River Valley

Time Warp Question
How might our understanding of early American history be different if we followed the history of the United States from west to east, instead of east to west?
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