Evstratii Delarov facts for kids
Evstratii Ivanovich Delarov (also known as Evstrat Delarov or Eustrate Delarof, born around 1740 – died 1806, Greek: Ευστράτιος Ντελάρωφ) was a Greek sailor. He worked for several Russian companies involved in the maritime fur trade in Russian America, which is now Alaska.
Delarov was born in Ottoman Macedonia. He was the first Greek explorer and merchant known to have arrived in Alaska. He is often seen as the first unofficial Governor of Alaska.
Biography
Delarov was of Greek background, from the region of Macedonia.
His career in Russian America began around 1764. He was in the Aleutian Islands on a ship called the Petr i Pavel. Delarov was involved in some conflicts with the Aleut people in 1764. These events followed a large Aleut attack on Russian ships in 1762.
While working for the Panov brothers company, Delarov used a harbor on Unga Island as his main base. For many years, this harbor was known as Delarov Harbor. It was also called Greko-Delarovskoe because Delarov was Greek. Between 1781 and 1786, Delarov and two other captains explored areas like Prince William Sound from Unga Island.
Over time, Delarov became known as an excellent ship captain. He also became a part-owner of several fur-trading ships. Grigory Shelikhov, a famous Russian merchant, met Delarov in Irkutsk. Shelikhov convinced Delarov to become the chief manager of his trading post at Three Saints Bay on Kodiak Island. Delarov sailed to Kodiak in 1787 on the ship Three Saints.
From 1787 to 1791, Delarov was the chief manager of the Shelikhov-Golikov Company. He held this important position before Alexander Andreyevich Baranov took over. Delarov later became a partner in Shelikhov's businesses and a major shareholder. In 1796, he managed the company's affairs from Irkutsk.
In 1787, Delarov set up a trading post at Karluk, on Kodiak Island. He also sent hunting groups to Resurrection Bay. There, a post called Aleksandrovskaia was founded near what is now Seldovia.
In 1788, Spanish explorers Gonzalo López de Haro and Esteban José Martínez sailed to Alaska. They wanted to learn about Russian activities. They found Shelikhov's settlement at Three Saints Bay and met Delarov. Delarov told them about Russian posts along the coast.
When the Russian-American Company was created in 1799, Delarov moved to Saint Petersburg. He served on the company's board of directors until he passed away in 1806.
Legacy
Several places are named after Delarov. These include the Delarof Islands and Delarof Harbor. The U.S. Army transport ship Delarof was also named after him. The ghost town of Unga, Alaska was originally called Delarov.
See also
In Spanish: Eustrate Ivanovich Delarof para niños
