THE RUSSIAN PRESENCE IN HAWAII
Written
by Marco Ramerini
Early in the19th century,
Russian fur traders established trading centers from Siberia into North American
continent, Russian cargo vessels regularly transected the northern Pacific Ocean. In
January 1815, a Russian-American Company vessel, named Bering, that traded furs for food
throughout the Hawaiian Islands, was shipwrecked at Waimea, Kauai. The ship and the cargo
were confiscated by Kaumualii, king of Kauai, subsequently, the Russian-American Company
sent an agent, Georg Anton Schäffer (a German surgeon of one of the Company vessel), to
diplomatically recover the company's lost properties. Schäffer mission was to gain the
confidence of Kamehameha I to whom in 1810, Kaumualii had acknowledged sovereignty, once
the bond existed between Schäffer and Kamehameha I, he was to reveal the true character
of his mission and request Kamehameha's assistance in securing compensation from Kaumualii
for the confiscated cargo. Despite opposition from a group of American traders who had
gained Kamehameha's trust, by early 1816, Schäffer had been successful in obtaining
fishing rights, livestock, and a land grant to establish a post on Oahu. Kamehameha I,
however, did not lend the anticipated assistance. Georg Anton Schäffer tried an alternate
plan: in May 1816 Schäffer went to Hawaii, and then to Kauai, dealing directly with
Kaumualii, he was successful in securing a contract guaranteeing payament for his
confiscated cargo. On 1 July 1816, Schäffer also entered into a secret treaty with
Kaumualii in which he pledged arms and ships for an invasion of the islands of Oahu,
Lanai, Maui and Molokai which Kaumualii felt were his. In return Kaumualii promised to the
Russian half of the island of Oahu and all the sandalwood on Oahu and Kauai, the Russian
also would be permitted to built factories on all of Kaumualii newly conquered islands.
At Hanalei (Princeville) Schäffer opened a trading post, and
started construction of a house. On 12 September 1816, Schäffer started the works of
fortification of fort Elizabeth on a bluff overlooking the spot at the mouth of the Waimea
River. On October 1816, at Hanalei (Princeville) Schäffer constructed two earthwork
forts, one named Fort Alexander in honor of the Tzar and the other known as Fort Barclay.
Hanalei was renamed Schäfferthal.
Fort Elizabeth is the
only Russian fort in Hawaii that is still visible today, it's situated on the east bank at
mouth of the Waimea River, it was built between 1816 and 1817 by the Russian-American
Company in alliance with the king of Kauai, Kaumualii. Georg Anton Schäffer
designed the fort and directed the works that were done by Hawaiian work force. While
construction proceeded, Schäffer received word that his crew had been expelled from Oahu
for building a fort and for raising a Russian flag on it. Alarmed by all this activity,
before the year was out, the natives of Hanalei had revolted, leveled the forts at Hanalei
burning a distillery which had just been built, and killing one of the Aleut workers
employed by Schäffer.
On 8 May 1817, the Russian
were expelled from Hawaii and the Hawaiians took over the fort, they finished the fort and
made modifications an additions. The fort was occupied by Hawaiians until it was
dismantled in 1864 by order of the Hawaiian government.
The hexagonal star-like fort had walls reaching 3,66
metres in height and 91,44 metres in diameter and consisting of three layers: an
earthen embankment, a layer of lava rock, and a hard-packed earth layer with a stone
walkway atop. The compound included a guardroom, magazine, barracks, cannon emplacements
and a trading post. Only the remains of the outer walls are left.
Biblioghrapy:
AA.VV. "Russian Fort Elizabeth, 1815-1864"
State of Hawaii
Pierce, Richard "Russia's Hawaiian Adventure,
1815-1817" 1965
