The Fort Ross 2012 Bicentennial Committee and the Presidio Trust present a year-long series commemorating 200 years of Colony Ross.
Between Heaven and Earth: History, Tradition and Sacred Art of the Orthodox Church
San Francisco educator and author Zoya Gradov brings together scholars and members of the Russian Orthodox choir to share and celebrate the history and rituals of the Russian Orthodox Church in California.
Q & A to follow.
About Fort Ross 2012 Events
Fort Ross 2012 is a joint project of the California State Parks, Fort Ross State Historic Park, and the Fort Ross Interpretive Association, who together promote the historical and educational benefits of Fort Ross and the surrounding areas. We invite you to join the year-long celebration of Colony Ross.
The mission of Fort Ross 2012 is
to commemorate the 200 years of natural, cultural and human history of Fort Ross (known today as Fort Ross State Historic Park), increase public interest and preserve the rich and vital legacy for future generations through a series of special events featuring the diverse influences of many people, including Kashaya and Coast Miwok Indians, Russians, Native Alaskans, Spanish, Mexican and Americans. For more, visit
http://www.fortross.org/.
What is Fort Ross?
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 establish trade relations with the Spanish in California, 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.
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