USA/CA: Fort Ross
Fort Ross is a historic wooden fort that is smack in the middle of the California coast and it’s also the southernmost former Russian colonial outpost. While the Spanish came up the west coast of North America to Alta California, the Russians came down here from Alaska. The settlement was established in 1803 at the Bodega Bay, and soon grew around the Fort Ross (which originally was Fort Rus, as is Russia). This settlement constituted the southernmost Russian colony in North America, and quickly grew with fur trade and fishing (fur was mostly from sea otters). In 1849, the entire fort was sold to John Sutter, a rival trading company for 30,000 dollars. Today, it’s like stepping into a Russian territory once you enter Fort Ross – Russian church, Russian alphabet on buildings and relics, old bell, and even old barrels and guns.
