Anadyrsk
Encyclopedia
Anadyrsk was an important Russian ostrog
(fortified settlement) in far northeastern Siberia from 1649 to 1764. It was on the Anadyr River
, near the head of small-boat navigation, about 300 miles upstream, near the present Markovo
.
In 1649 Semyon Dezhnyov built a zimov'ye (winter quarters) here after being wrecked on the Pacific coast the previous year. In 1650 Mikhail Stadukhin
and Semyon Motora arrived overland from the Kolyma River
. For the next 100 years Stadukhin's route was the main Russian route from the Arctic to the Pacific. In 1659 Kurbat Ivanov
took over, build a proper stockade and made major improvements in administration. About 1697, Anadyrsk was the launching place for Vladimir Atlasov
's conquest of Kamchatka. The local Chukchis
and Koryaks
were warlike, and the post was attacked a number of times. Kennan reports its garrison through much of its service was 600 men and a battery of artillery. Its importance declined with the opening of the sea route through Okhotsk
to Kamchatka in 1718. Subsequently, its importance was limited to interactions with the Chukchis. Concluding that attempts to collect tribute from the Chukchis were not a paying proposition, the Russian government of Catherine II ordered Anadyrsk abandoned in 1764.
In 1866, when it was visited by George Kennan
(at that time only the second non-Russian or non-native in living memory to do so), Anadyrsk consisted of four villages: Markovo
(the central one), Pokorukov, Psolkin and Krepost. There were about 200 inhabitants and a priest. Krepost ('fort') was the site of the Anadyrsk fort, on a bank about 30 feet above the level of the river, and at that time consisted of a dozen log cabins, with no trace of the old fortifications visible. Markovo was about 15 verst
s (16 km) upriver, and Pokorukov a further 20 versts. Kennan described it as the Ultima Thule of Russian civilization.
Ostrog (fortress)
Ostrog was a Russian term for a small fort, typically wooden and often non-permanently manned. Ostrogs were encircled by 4-6 metres high palisade walls made from sharpened trunks. The name derives from the Russian word строгать , "to shave the wood". Ostrogs were smaller and exclusively military...
(fortified settlement) in far northeastern Siberia from 1649 to 1764. It was on the Anadyr River
Anadyr River
Anadyr is a river in the far northeast Siberia which flows into Anadyr Bay of the Bering Sea and drains much of the interior of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Its basin corresponds to the Anadyrsky District of Chukotka....
, near the head of small-boat navigation, about 300 miles upstream, near the present Markovo
Markovo, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Markovo is a village situated near the head of small-boat navigation of the Anadyr River, near the center of the Anadyrsky District of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, part of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia...
.
In 1649 Semyon Dezhnyov built a zimov'ye (winter quarters) here after being wrecked on the Pacific coast the previous year. In 1650 Mikhail Stadukhin
Mikhail Stadukhin
Mikhail Vasilyevich Stadukhin was a Russian explorer of far northeast Siberia, one of the first to reach the Kolyma, Anadyr, Penzhina and Gizhiga Rivers and the northern Sea of Okhotsk. He was a Pomor, probably born in the village of Pinega, and the nephew of a Moscow merchant...
and Semyon Motora arrived overland from the Kolyma River
Kolyma River
The Kolyma River is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. Itrises in the mountains north of Okhotsk and Magadan, in the area of and...
. For the next 100 years Stadukhin's route was the main Russian route from the Arctic to the Pacific. In 1659 Kurbat Ivanov
Kurbat Ivanov
Kurbat Afanasyevich Ivanov was among the greatest Cossack explorers of Siberia. He was the first Russian to discover Lake Baikal, and to create the first map of the Russian Far East...
took over, build a proper stockade and made major improvements in administration. About 1697, Anadyrsk was the launching place for Vladimir Atlasov
Vladimir Atlasov
Vladimir Vasilyevich Atlasov or Otlasov was a Siberian Cossack who was the first Russian to explore the Kamchatka Peninsula. Atlasov Island, an uninhabited volcanic island off the southern tip of Kamchatka, is named after him....
's conquest of Kamchatka. The local Chukchis
Chukchi people
The Chukchi, or Chukchee , ) are an indigenous people inhabiting the Chukchi Peninsula and the shores of the Chukchi Sea and the Bering Sea region of the Arctic Ocean within the Russian Federation. They speak the Chukchi language...
and Koryaks
Koryaks
Koryaks are an indigenous people of Kamchatka Krai in the Russian Far East, who inhabit the coastlands of the Bering Sea to the south of the Anadyr basin and the country to the immediate north of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the southernmost limit of their range being Tigilsk. They are akin to the...
were warlike, and the post was attacked a number of times. Kennan reports its garrison through much of its service was 600 men and a battery of artillery. Its importance declined with the opening of the sea route through Okhotsk
Okhotsk
Okhotsk is an urban locality and a seaport at the mouth of the Okhota River on the Sea of Okhotsk, in Okhotsky District, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. Population: 4,470 ;...
to Kamchatka in 1718. Subsequently, its importance was limited to interactions with the Chukchis. Concluding that attempts to collect tribute from the Chukchis were not a paying proposition, the Russian government of Catherine II ordered Anadyrsk abandoned in 1764.
In 1866, when it was visited by George Kennan
George Kennan (explorer)
George Kennan was an American explorer noted for his travels in the Kamchatka and Caucasus regions of the Russian Empire. He was a cousin twice removed of diplomat and historian George F. Kennan, with whom he shared his birthday....
(at that time only the second non-Russian or non-native in living memory to do so), Anadyrsk consisted of four villages: Markovo
Markovo, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Markovo is a village situated near the head of small-boat navigation of the Anadyr River, near the center of the Anadyrsky District of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, part of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia...
(the central one), Pokorukov, Psolkin and Krepost. There were about 200 inhabitants and a priest. Krepost ('fort') was the site of the Anadyrsk fort, on a bank about 30 feet above the level of the river, and at that time consisted of a dozen log cabins, with no trace of the old fortifications visible. Markovo was about 15 verst
Verst
A verst or werst is an obsolete Russian unit of length. It is defined as being 500 sazhen long, which makes a verst equal to 1.0668 kilometres ....
s (16 km) upriver, and Pokorukov a further 20 versts. Kennan described it as the Ultima Thule of Russian civilization.