Russian schooner Nikolai

Lore & Background

The Nikolai departed Novo-Arkhangelsk in November 1808 under orders from Alexander Baranov. On 13 November (O.S. 1 November), a gale stranded the ship on a beach north of the Quillayute River and James Island. The Hoh nation arrived that day, and a Russian-instigated skirmish left three Hohs dead and many crew injured. The crew abandoned the ship, taking guns and provisions, and headed for Grays Harbor. They were continually monitored by Hoh scouts. On 19 November they reached the Hoh river mouth, where a second battle occurred; one Russian was fatally speared, and four crew members, including expedition commander Nikolai Bulygin's wife Anna Bulygina, were taken hostage.

Reader's Guide

The failure of the Nikolai to locate a suitable site for a Russian station in the Oregon Country redirected RAC expansion efforts to Alta California, leading to the establishment of Fort Ross in 1812. The crew's marooning and enslavement by the Makah nation, and their eventual rescue by the American ship Lydia in May 1810, highlighted the challenges of Russian colonial ventures in the Pacific Northwest. Timofei Tarakanov's report to Baranov painted an inhospitable picture of the region, discouraging further Russian interest in the Oregon Country after 1810. The voyage thus shaped the geographic focus of Russian America.

Did You Know?

• The Nikolai was originally built in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi for Kamehameha I and purchased for 150 sea otter skins.
• Seven of the crew died during their time marooned on the Olympic Peninsula.
• Anna Bulygina, the 18-year-old wife of expedition commander Nikolai Bulygin, was taken hostage by the Hoh and later became a slave of the Makah noble Yutramaki.
• The crew were freed by the American ship Lydia under Captain Thomas Brown in May 1810 and returned to Novo-Arkhangelsk.