Gavriil Pribylov facts for kids

Pribylov discovered the islands of St. George and St. Paul in 1786–87. These islands and nearby small islands were later named after him.

Gavriil Loginovich Pribylov was a Russian explorer and sailor. He is famous for finding two islands in the Bering Sea. These islands are called St. George Island and St. Paul Island. He found them in 1786 and 1787. Today, these islands and the smaller ones around them are known as the Pribilof Islands, named after him.

Finding the Islands

Gavriil Pribylov was the captain of a ship named St. George. This ship was part of the Russian-American Company. On June 25, 1786, he found St. George Island. He followed the sounds of barking northern fur seals to reach it.

The Search for Fur Seals

For three years, merchants from Siberia had been looking for places where fur seals gathered. These seals were very important for their valuable fur. Pribylov's discovery helped them find these special breeding grounds.

His trip was paid for by two men, Grigory Shelikhov and Pavel Lebedev-Lastochkin. Shelikhov had a special right to trade furs in the Aleutian Islands. He often worked with partners to help pay for his trips. These two men later became business rivals.

Early Hunting on St. George Island

After finding St. George Island, more than 20 of Pribylov's crew stayed behind. This crew included both Russians and Aleut people. Their job was to hunt the seals.

This hunting helped start the international hunting of northern fur seals. This activity continued for many years. It was finally stopped by an international agreement in 1911. This happened because too many seals were hunted, and their numbers became very low.

Discovering St. Paul Island

One year later, in 1787, Pribylov found another island. This was St. Paul Island. It is about 50 miles north of St. George Island.

A Different Kind of Discovery

It is interesting to know that Pribylov did not find the islands completely on his own. He was guided to their general location. An Aleut chief's son told him where to go.

The islands were not lived on by people at that time. The Aleut people already knew about them. They called the islands Amiq. These islands were famous hunting spots in the Aleut people's stories and traditions.