Ocean Cove Campground, c4 miles north of Fort Ross
Because I could not access the Internet from the Casini Ranch Family Campground I drove to the Guerneville Branch of the Sonoma County Library and posted what I had written Sunday night at Casini. After buying some gas I drove back toward the coast, planning to turn right at some point and drive to Cazadero.
While I saw a sign for Old Cazadero Rd just as I left Guerneville, my quick glance at the route on MapQuest seemed to put it past Duncans Mills. That proved to be the case, and I drove through what is a combination of summer camps and private summer or full-time homes before taking Fort Ross Road toward the coast.
After a quick lunch I continued the journey to the coast; however, I guessed wrong at 1 or more intersections where Fort Ross was nowhere to be seen on the road signs. But I finally arrived 5 minutes before the closing time of 4:30 p.m.
Despite what the sign in front of the Visitor Center says, the primary reason the Russians established Fort Ross was to hunt sea otters; and the secondary reason was to raise crops which could be used at their settlement in what is now Sitka, Alaska. [Click 1 or 2 times to zoom in]
As I walked down the path from the Visitor Center to the fort itself I passed what appeared to be an apple tree; closer examination revealed some small apples. (And there were two even older apple trees within the fort; their apples were also very small.) The Russians, who occupied Fort Ross from 1812 to 1841, also planted pears, plums, and cherries. While I did see a plum tree, I did not see any other types of fruit trees.
First, my apologies for the moisture on the lens, but the fog was somewhat thick. However, this view reminds me of what I saw a few times in the late 40s and/or early 50s when we drove back to Santa Cruz from Fort Bragg along the coast. The road you see in this photo is the former Coast Highway, which was to the west or front of Fort Ross.
A look through a grove of eucalyptus trees at the blockhouse on the northeast corner of the fort. Unlike the blockhouse in the previous photo, which 1s 8-sided, this one is 7-sided.
A look over a plaque at the mouth of the cove where the commander of the Russian expedition landed as well as the site of the Aleutian Indian houses on the bluff to the right of the cove.
The Aleutian Indians (from Alaska) brought kayaks with them; those very maneuverable craft were also called "baldarkas." [Not sure whether the term is Indian or Russian.]
Sandy Beach Cove, where the commander of the Russian expedition north from Port Rumiantsev decided to put ashore and see if the location was suitable for a settlement. It was. [Incidentally, Port Rumiantsev is now know as Bodega Bay, a deep-water port.]
A plaque explaining Sandy Beach Cove as well as international trade along the west coast of what later became California.
The church at the southeast corner of the fort.
A plaque explaining the Russian Cemetery; because burials included women and children, it is thought that the Fort became more of a trading post than a post manned by soldiers and conscripts.
A close-up of the 8-sided blockhouse at the southwest corner of the fort. If the walls were breached by invaders, defenders retreated to the blockhouses, where it appears that only fire or eventual lack of water would dislodge them.
The commandant's quarters on the left and the quarters for the other Russian soldiers on the right.
Another look at the Russian Orthodox Church as well as a couple of cannons. Sometime after the Russians left in 1841 Governor Vallejo, whose headquarters was in Vallejo, sold many of the more serviceable cannons to the owner of another fort. The buyer? Johan Sutter of Sacramento.
A view over a third cannon which remains of the northeast blockhouse as well as another building whose purpose escapes me. [Perhaps the State Park web pages for Fort Ross contain a map of the buildings within the fort; See Below!
I took this photo again after finding a reflection of my camera's flash from the glass over this bulletin board, but didn't move far enough to the left. Here's my guess on what was obscured in the first three sentences
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The Rotchev House at Fort Ross State Historic Park was built circa 1836. This National Landmark building is the only original structure remaining from Russia's thriving settlement in California. It was the family home and office of the last administrator of Fort Ross, Alexander Rotchov.
A view through a window at a piano which, although probably not that of the Rotchevs, likely dates back to the early to mid-1800s. Sheet music for a Mozart sonatta is waiting to be played.
A silver samovar[?] on the table in the kitchen of the soldiers' quarters.
I took this final photo mainly for the pelts in the room; note what appears to be a sheepsking on the bed. Also, to the left are either shelves or a ladder to the second story.
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Links:
M 18 Jul Actual Route: Casini Ranch CG - Guerneville - Cazadero - Fort Ross - Reef CG (1.5 mi south of Ft Ross; Closed)- Ocean Cove Campground
T 19 Jul Actual Route: Ocean Cove Campground - Point Arena - Cuffy's Cove - Navarro Beach State CG
W 20 Jul Actual Route: Navarro Beach State CG - Mendocino - Cleone - Fort Bragg
Th 21 Jul Route: Fort Bragg - Willits - Clear Lake - Williams - Orland - Black Butte Resv CG
F 22 Jul Route: Black Butte Resv CG - Orland - Anderson - Shingletown
