Marker Logo
THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Jenner in Sonoma County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
 

The Russian Village Site - Sloboda

 
 
The Russian Village Site - Sloboda Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, March 19, 2015
1. The Russian Village Site - Sloboda Marker
Captions: (top right) A typical Russian sloboda; (bottom) Pictured below is the 1841 watercolor "Settlement Ross", by I.G. Voznesenskii. The village, or sloboda, is a collection of buildings to the far right of the fort.
Inscription. Most of the inhabitants of Settlement Ross resided outside the fort; only Russian-American Company officials and visitors lived inside. Everyone in the vicinity of Fort Ross worked for the company. Lower-ranking Russian and Creole employees established a village complex of houses and gardens that gradually developed in this area outside the northwest stockade walls. The term 'Creole: designated a social class comprised manly of people descended from Russians married to Native Alaskan and Californian. This group formed a large part of the colony's inhabitants. Population of the settlement varied over the years. In 1836 Father Ioann Veniaminov recorded: "Fort Ross contains 260 people: 154 male and 107 female. There are 120 Russians, 51 Creoles, 50 Kodiak Aleuts and 39 baptized Indians".
 
Erected by California State Parks.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and CastlesSettlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1836.
 
Location. 38° 30.891′ N, 123° 14.636′ W. Marker is in Jenner, California, in Sonoma County. It can be reached from Coast Highway (State Highway 1) near Fort Ross Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 19005 Coast Highway, Jenner CA 95450, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, in Wine Country, in the North Coast, and specifically on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers.
Paid Advertisement
Click or scan to see
this page online
At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fort Ross Chapel (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); California's First Windmill (about 400 feet away); Fort Ross Defenses (about 400 feet away); The Russian Cemetery (about 400 feet away); The Native Alaskan Village (about 500 feet away); Sandy Beach Cove (about 500 feet away); The Call Family Residence (about 600 feet away); Fort Ross Cove (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jenner.
 
More about this marker. This marker is located at Fort Ross State Park.
 
The Russian Village Site - Sloboda Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, March 19, 2015
2. The Russian Village Site - Sloboda Marker
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2015, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 577 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on July 17, 2015, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
m=85614

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisement
Jun. 13, 2026