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Okhotsk. The spring shipment left
Yakutsk about the first of May to take advantage of the still-frozen bogs and rivers. The summer shipment left Yakutsk in mid-June after the rivers had gone down and the spring mud dried and reached Okhotsk in mid-August. It carried goods that had reached Yakutsk after the thaw but was more difficult and handled less goods. Yakuts and their hardy breed of horses were required to serve the route and were paid. A convoy would have about 100-150 horses divided into strings of about 10 horses tied head-to-tail each led by a Yakut conductor. Each horse carried about 225 pounds. 5,000-10,000 horses were used annually. Around a thousand of these died every year. Cattle were also driven down the track. When
22:
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269:. From October to February cold heavy air blows seaward from the interior. From May to July damp air blows landward bringing a cold foggy drizzle. Average temperature is around 10 °C in summer and around zero in winter. Growing season rarely exceeds three months. Only root crops grew well. The few peasants found fishing and trapping more profitable. The high value of sable pelts made it possible to buy imported food. This and the poor soils meant that the Russians had to import food despite the abundance of Salmon.
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94:. When Russians reached the Pacific coast their river boats were no longer useful. Once knowledge of ship building and navigation was slowly moved across Siberia they advanced to Alaska. The Alaska trade was controlled from the Okhotsk coast until the whole system broke up around 1860. A major problem was moving supplies over the coastal mountains. For background see
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head of the Urak River and downstream. A later route went up the Yudoma River, a large west-flowing branch of the Maya, and either over the Yudoma
Portage (80–100 kilometres from Yudoma Cross southeast to Urak Landing) and 150–200 kilometres down the Urak River or further up the Yudoma and over the long Okhotsk Portage to the
359:
used the track in 1842 he was amazed by the volume of traffic. Horses returning from
Okhotsk carried about half the outbound load because of the lower volume of freight and the lack of pasture at Okhotsk. Returning horses were also cheaper to rent for the same reason. There were ferries on the larger
334:
The route ran from
Yakutsk up the Aldan river to the Maya River, transferred to smaller boats, went up the Maya and south up the Mati River, over the Lama portage or Alanchak portage and the down the Ulya River to the coast. By 1700 it was more common to go to the head of the Maya and overland to the
519:
From at least 1719 it was clear that the
Okhotsk route needed to be replaced if possible. Okhotsk was a poor port and the route to it the most expensive major route in Siberia. Over the next hundred years many attempts were made to find a better port with a better route over the mountains. Failing
354:
at the
Okhotsk Ferry, went southeast up the Belaya River to the settlement and river of Allakh-Tun, east to Captain's Clearing on the Yudoma Plateau, south to Yudoma Cross on the Yudoma River, southeast parallel to the Yudoma Portage to Urak Landing and down the Urak River and along the coast to
524:
became head of the
Russian-America Company post at Okhotsk. He determined to move RAC post south to Ayan. This was done in 1845 and it was found that the route was one third cheaper and eight days shorter. The Yakutsk-Ayan Track was rebuilt in 1852 at a cost of 20,000 rubles. When
265:. Once over the mountains one could travel by boat with few portages all the way to the Ural Mountains. On the east side numerous short, swift rivers cut valleys down to the sea. Their lower floodplains and the negligible coastal strip are the only flat land. The climate is
166:
The east-west section runs about 680 km (420 mi) from
Okhotsk to the P'yagin Peninsula. About 100 km (62 mi) east of Okhotsk is one of the Inya Rivers. The coast soon becomes rocky. About 320 km (200 mi) east of Okhotsk is the rectangular
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and local substitutes were used for proper naval stores. Frequent fogs and uncharted coasts added to the problem. There was often a shortage of ships. Of the 81 ships built for the
Okhotsk flotilla between 1715 and 1856, almost all were wrecked.
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By at least 1715 there was a 1,100-kilometre horse track from
Yakutsk to Okhotsk. It gradually became the main route until Okhotsk lost its status as the main port in 1844-51. The Yakutsk-Okhotsk Track ran east from Yakutsk, crossed the
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Although the Cossacks were master boatmen, they did not know how to build large ships and had no knowledge of navigation. Thus they were confined to the coast. In 1714 sailors and shipwrights arrived from European Russia and built the
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over the bogs. The numerous fords became impassable during the spring melt and were difficult until the mud dried or refroze. Bogs were especially bad on the flatter western section. The route was littered with horse bones.
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along the coast to Kamchatka. The sea route to Kamchatka soon replaced the land route. Because of the lack of naval infrastructure both ships and sailors were of poor quality. Ships were built from local
280:. Like most coastal Siberians, they were reindeer herders in the interior with a few semi-sedentary fishers and sealers along the coast. They had some metallurgy. On both sides of Penzhina Bay were the
483:'s two Pacific expeditions (1725–29 and 1733–42) used Okhotsk as a base. This led to a great deal of building and brought in large numbers of people and the first scholars and competent sailors.
441:. There was no sea route but a very difficult coast trail was used mainly to send messages. There were ostrogs at Insk, Tauisk, Yamsk and Gizhiga at the mouths of their corresponding rivers.
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sailed north from the Amur and re-used Moskvitin's huts on the Ulya. In 1647 Semyon Selkovnik built winter quarters at Okhotsk and in 1649 a proper ostrog was built there. In 1651-57
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made a poorly documented journey along the whole coast from Penzhina Bay to Okhotsk. Okhotsk was burned down by the Lamuts in 1653 or 54. They revolted again in 1665 and 1677.
339:. This was surveyed in 1715 by Maksimov and Antipin and was preferred by Bering. The river route was circuitous and mostly upstream. There was a good deal of tracking (see
328:(34 pounds) of flour cost 0.5 rubles at Irkutsk, 1.5 rubles at Yakutsk, 10 rubles at Okhotsk and 12 rubles at Kamchatka, the difference being the transport cost.
284:. They were economically similar to the Lamuts, but more warlike. The Lamuts were subdued by the 1690s and the Koryaks much later. In Russian times a number of
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became the first Siberian governor to use the Okhotsk track he was appalled by its condition and proposed to move the Siberian Flotilla fleet to
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in 1860 when everything was moved south. Russian America was sold to the United States in 1867 and from 1870 Okhotsk was supplied from
661:
James R. Gibson, "Feeding the Russian Fur Trade: Provisionment of the Okhotsk Seaboard and the Kamchatka Peninsula, 1639-1856, 1969
237:
Siberian mountains: Dzhugdzhur Mountains highlighted. West of the Dzhugdzhurs the country was flat all the way to the Urals.
209:. One of the Yama Rivers enters at the base of the P'yagin Peninsula. 400 km (250 mi) up the coast is the head of
320:
portage. Lighter west-bound goods -mostly furs- took the reverse route. After 1729 most furs were sold to the Chinese at
316:, carried to Okhotsk and from there most went by ship to Kamchatka. European goods and travelers joined the Lena at the
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prices they were worth one tenth of the expedition's enormous cost. Russian fur-hunters began island-hopping along the
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36:
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gold fields. 240 km (150 mi) east of Magadan the east-west section ends at the P'yagin Peninsula and the
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where the Russians first saw the Pacific. 70 km (43 mi) northeast is the mouth of the southeast-flowing
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left Brutalsk on the Aldan River, went southeast up the Maya, crossed the mountains and reached the mouth of the
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with its good harbor but poor communications inland. 350 km (220 mi) northeast is the mouth of the
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The Maya River is the V-shaped tributary of the Aldan. The Yudoma River flows west north of the "V".
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that work was done to improve the Yakutsk-Okhotsk track. Nothing came of this until 1840 when
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343:) on the upper reaches. After about 1741 it was mostly replaced by the easier horse route.
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river (an important route to the coast) and 25 km (16 mi) further is the town of
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is historically the most important. It runs northeast about 700 km (430 mi) from
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171:. At the northwest corner of the Bay are the mouths of the Taui River and a Yana River (
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474:(1805) may have been the first Russian to reach the area by sea from European Russia.
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Three other routes were used. A winter non-freight route went from Yakutsk east to
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225:. From the head of Penzhina Bay back to the Uda River is about 2,000 kilometres.
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Russian expansion to Alaska followed the natural distribution of the Sea Otter
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after 11 weeks. He built winter quarters and next year sent parties south to
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541:. The population of Okhotsk declined from 1,660 in 1839 to 100 in 1865.
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The remnants of Bering's second expedition returned with more than 1500
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which reach 600 to 1,000 metres. They drain westward to branches of the
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with Gizhiga Ostrog, the Taygonos Peninsula and the 300-kilometre long
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The last battle of the Russian Civil War was fought at Ayan. In 1929
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gave a hair-raising account of his journey along this coast in 1867.
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was built from Magadan to Yakutsk. The coast is now divided between
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George Kennan, "Tent Life in Siberia", 1870 and numerous reprints
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Gulag complex. Magadan is now the largest city on the coast. The
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Russian attention was concentrated on the Amur until they were
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380:. The Yakutsk-Ayan Track (1844 to 1867) is described under
325:
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639:(in Russian). Экспертная сеть по исследованию идентичности
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and Kukhtui River join to make a poor but usable harbor.
124:. At the westernmost point of the Sea of Okhotsk is the
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was formed in 1799 with Okhotsk as its Siberian base.
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The coast runs northeast forming the west side of the
603:"История освоения Ольского побережья Охотского моря"
304:Food passing through Okhotsk was mostly grown near
249:The western section of the continental part of the
175:). Near the northeast corner is the good harbor of
140:. About 260 km (160 mi) up the coast is
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634:"Магаданская Область - Земля Свободы и Красоты"
460:in 1715. In 1716-17 Kozma Sokolov sailed the
376:. The Yakutsk-Udsk Track is described under
551:was founded and was the headquarters of the
276:, a branch of the Tungus who are now called
128:which was the Russo-Chinese border from the
90:is an important part of the history of the
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66:Learn how and when to remove this message
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429:by the Manchus. Northward, in 1697-1699
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136:(1859). To the east is Uda Gulf and the
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29:This article includes a list of general
495:The sea otter boom and Russian America:
300:Lena River. Irkutsk is near Lake Baikal
221:. The east side of Shelikov Bay is the
183:settlement was built which grew into a
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533:. All this became irrelevant with the
88:history of fur trade by Sea of Okhotsk
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372:and then directly south to the upper
605:(in Russian). ООО ИА "КОЛЫМА-ИНФОРМ"
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35:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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449:made the same journey in 1788.
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110:may be classified as follows.
1:
106:Continental landmarks of the
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156:where the south-flowing the
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565:Tuguro-Chumikansky District
472:Adam Johann von Krusenstern
191:with its road north to the
10:
701:
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82:Map of the Sea of Okhotsk
582:
531:Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
527:Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky
443:George Kennan (explorer)
288:came down to the coast.
511:Russian America Company
217:and the route north to
50:more precise citations.
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347:Yakutsk-Okhotsk Track:
301:
292:Crossing the Mountains
246:
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83:
569:Ayano-Maysky District
489:
447:Barthélemy de Lesseps
308:and floated down the
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244:
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96:Siberian River Routes
81:
255:Dzhugdzhur Mountains
251:Sea of Okhotsk Coast
179:where, in 1929, the
108:Sea of Okhotsk Coast
601:Козлов, Александр.
539:Nikolayevsk-on-Amur
439:Kamchatka Peninsula
223:Kamchatka Peninsula
130:Treaty of Nerchinsk
114:The western section
685:Economy of Siberia
680:History of Siberia
545:Twentieth Century:
517:Okhotsk Abandoned:
492:
357:Sir George Simpson
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173:not the Arctic one
164:East-West section:
92:Siberian fur trade
84:
573:Okhotsky District
437:and explored the
423:Kamchatka Opened:
417:Mikhail Stadukhin
272:The natives were
253:is backed by the
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507:Aleutian Islands
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431:Vladimir Atlasov
393:Russian arrival:
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138:Shantar Islands
134:Treaty of Aigun
120:to the town of
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522:Vasily Zavoyko
397:Ivan Moskvitin
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362:corduroy roads
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203:Shelikhov Bay:
197:Yamsky Islands
132:(1689) to the
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56:December 2012
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641:. Retrieved
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607:. Retrieved
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481:Vitus Bering
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374:Okhota River
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337:Okhota River
332:Water route:
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324:. In 1805 a
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215:Penzhina Bay
211:Gizhigin Bay
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163:
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158:Okhota River
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411:. In 1646
360:rivers and
352:Aldan River
259:Aldan River
177:Nagayev Bay
48:introducing
669:Categories
501:pelts. At
427:driven out
401:Ulya River
310:Lena River
263:Maya River
146:Ulya River
31:references
675:Fur trade
643:7 January
499:sea otter
378:Uda River
267:monsoonal
229:Geography
126:Uda River
102:Landmarks
609:14 March
553:Dalstroy
435:Anadyrsk
409:Taui Bay
405:Uda Gulf
395:In 1639
219:Anadyrsk
187:city of
181:Nagayevo
169:Taui Bay
118:Uda Gulf
656:Sources
549:Magadan
509:. The
503:Kyakhta
478:Bering:
388:History
370:Omyakon
341:portage
322:Kyakhta
318:Ust-Kut
314:Yakutsk
306:Irkutsk
282:Koryaks
189:Magadan
154:Okhotsk
122:Okhotsk
44:improve
575:) and
462:Vostok
458:Vostok
286:Yakuts
274:Lamuts
193:Kolyma
33:, but
637:(PDF)
583:Notes
467:larch
278:Evens
185:GULAG
645:2013
611:2012
382:Ayan
326:pood
261:and
150:Urak
142:Ayan
86:The
312:to
98:.
671::
591:^
579:.
571:,
567:,
384:.
199:.
647:.
613:.
563:(
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63:(
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54:(
40:.
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