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THE Story of the Russian March to Alaska and California, paralleling our own Westward to the Pacific by DANIEL HENDERSON HASTINGS HOUSE With Love to ERNESTINE CONTENTS PAST ONE COSSACK SURGE IN SIBERIA SECTION PAGE 1 UNCLE SAM TAKES TITLE TO A GREAT LAND 3 2 SALT AND SABLES 25 3 POT HUNTERS FUNG A WIDE NET 54 4 VOYAGERS SEEKING THE GREAT LAND 71 5 THE NORTHERN BEAR SNIFFS THE RIVER OF THE BLACK DRAGON 9 PART TWO THE SLAVIC SCEPTER ON THE PACIFIC 6 TiaE WOMAN WHO WENT ALONG 109 7 BAmaNow Saar-SiBEvis Atnoaur 129 SECIIOW PAGE 8 BZANOV CASTS A NET AT THE SUN 156 9 MOTAVJW FORCES A WAY THROUGH CHINA TO THE PAOTIC 191 10 TUB SWOBD RATTLES, BUT THE GRIP WEAKENS 210 11 WHAT SECRETARY SEWABD Dro Nor SEE 232 BIBLIOGRAPHY 245 INMX 249 FOREWORD To MOST AMERICANS, the Russians arc a remote and mysterious people, although in Siberia the Russian power is nearer than we think We decided that it would be worth-while to view them intimately when they were marrhing to the Pacific and when they were occupying American territory in Alaska, California, and In Hawaii It occurs to us that the narrative can be used as a basis for watching whether Russian ambitions and marches, under the Czars, were different from what they will be under the Soviet Union, No book, so far as we know, has compared the Slavk march across Siberia to Alaska, and down close to San Francisco, Cali fornia, with oar own western trek by way erf the Overland TraiL comparison, when opportunity has horded, we mate. Our story of the Russian urge to the northeast aad then to sunny shores on die Pacifio-begins in the first ej an5ioQist toward the Great continued the trek, two objectives developed to gain Ac fur trade of Alaska, and the marketsof China. These aims, concealed or open, we show Along with the diplomatic side of the march, we give glimpses also of the work of die official Church and of a chain of interesting military leaders and ma chaots wfcp served tfee purposes of empire. Tbp time periods o tfcc Siberian alike. Tb Cossack Yermak, employed by the salt merchant Stroganov, who in turn was undo obligations to Ivan the Ter rible set out in 1581 to conquer the Tartar-held land beyond the Urals. Sir Francis Drake, two years before, claimed a stretch of the Pacific Coast for Queen Elizabeth This is an informal book it may be asked, is it dependable as history. We trust that, to the scholar, it will so reveal itself. We assure the general reader that we have taken pains to make it a true account When we have created conversations between char actexs, we have based them on historical facts. The only dheerly fictional characters in the story are the Russian priest Alexis, the little family of Martin and Natalya Stroganov and Iier father, and the reporter Del Norte. A journalist named Dd Norte contributed reports to a San Francisco newspaper of tbe ceremony of the transfer of Alaska, and we have imaging his character and used him as a device for bringing out certain in-We hope our book will invite the reader to find bis own paral lels in American history with characters of the Russian march. Por instance, wfeat early American colonizers arc akin to the salt merchants Stroganov What exploring hunter and guide does Ac honok Cossack Ycnnak resemble What early American fur trader compares wife Shdikov And with what imperialistic American army officer may Muraviov, who snatched from China for Russia that important waterway tothe Padfio-the Amur River be compared or not you will quiz yourselves, you will find that marches to China and America were a grand quiz, aad you may ask yourself, as we are forced to do at die end of the book, wbctfaer the cpcaz wjll ever be so completely settled that we ca dismiss k from our minds...