Fort Ross Bicentennial
Fort Ross 2012 is a project of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Fort Ross Interpretive Association and the California State Park System who together promote the historical and educational benefits of Fort Ross and the surrounding areas.
Commemorating 200 Years · 1812-2012
"I am pleased to join the many Americans and Russians who will celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the founding of Fort Ross this year... The history of what the Russian-American Company did at Fort Ross, and what succeeding generations of Russians and Americans have done to preserve it, will be discussed and celebrated -- and rightly so. I wish all of those participating in the Fort Ross Bicentennial much success during this year of celebration and commemoration."
In 1812, on a stretch of the Pacific Ocean eighty miles north of San Francisco, Russian explorers established Colony Ross, Russia’s deepest vanguard into North America. Colony Ross was settled to produce food to support the Russian settlements in Alaska, as well as to expand the valuable sea otter trade.
Although the Russian American Company stayed for just three decades, their contributions to early California society were vast – they built California’s first ships and windmills, introduced glass-paneled windows, created the first brickyard, catalogued the local flora and fauna, completed detailed maps and were, by today’s standards, among California’s earliest entrepreneurs. Fort Ross is an excellent example of the best of California and what it has to offer the world: a rich history, diverse cultural legacy, beautiful nature, and dedicated people.
Fort Ross State Historic Park was established in 1909 as one of California’s first state historic parks. FR2012 invites you to join us in our bicentennial commemoration and help preserve this rich and vital legacy for future generations.
We are commemorating the 200 years of natural, cultural and human history of Fort Ross through a series of special events featuring the diverse influences of many people, including the Russians, Kashaya and Coast Miwok Native people, Alaskan Native people, Spanish, Mexicans, and Americans.
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