Fort Ross Conservancy

Delicious and healthful bread from hand-milled flour - every sailor’s dream After months of eating stale ‘sukhari’ or rusks (a dry biscuit or piece of twice-baked bread), Russian sailors on long voyages along the Pacific coast craved freshly-baked bread. Any time the Russians made landfall or came across other trading vessels they would attempt to purchase provisions of fresh grain and flour. Flour purchased from the Spanish was often very coarsely ground and it didn’t bake... into the bread that the Russians were accustomed to. The Fort Ross setters decided to build portable hand mills to mill flour to their liking. Please order millstones to be furnished for the construction of two pairs of hand mills. The latter should each measure 2 feet in diameter and 8 to 10 inches in height. A spindle should be attached and any other parts needed for grinding grain, explorer Kirill Khlebnikov requested. The mills are then to be kept on the ships until they are needed. Such mills are convenient for preparing flour. When the ships are anchored in the California ports, there is a constant need for bread, and the flour purchased from the Spaniards is of poor quality and coarse.As the flour was quite coarse, the bread did not bake thoroughly and was very bad, and the men began to grumble. Often this delicious and healthful bread was baked on shore in stoves, but one time, the crew suffered extensive pain after using poison oak shrub to light up the fire - a moment that ruined everyone’s experience. If you touch its leaves, a swelling will immediately appear on your hand, and if you smell it, a swelling will appear on your face. The Spaniards call it ‘yedra ponzoneza y mucho picazon,’ or poisonous and itchy ivy, Khlebnikov recalled. Fort Ross Conservancy has its own miniature version of the portable stone mill used by the sailors that our dedicated team of windmill volunteers happily showcase to the public on a regular basis (covid pandemic permitting, of course). Thank you for the demonstration, Warren! Igor Polishchuk, Director of External Relations #VisitFortRoss #CaliforniaHistory #bread #StoneGround #HandMilled #DontEatPoisonOak #FortRoss #fortrossstatehistoricpark

We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers. - Martin Luther King Jr

Jan 11-12, 2021 #KingTides California King Tides - The California King Tides Project helps to visualize future sea level by observing the highest high tides of today. #SlowDownAndObserve #tides #hightides #sealevelrise #pacificocean #swell #surfsup

Beware of Poison Oak - XIX Century Russian Rash Remedies A very toxic, lead-based lotion called ‘Goulard water’ was one of the treatments used by the Russians in California to deal with severe discomfort caused by poison oak; compare that to the indiginous Native population who treated the same malady simply by applying a patch made of natural products to achieve a soothing effect. How clever! Of the small bushes, only one is worth a mention; its size and bark are si...milar to those of the guelder rose. It grows in abundance and causes an unusual effect: a careless touching of the wood produces an unbearable itch, pain, and strong swelling in that part [of one’s body] that has directly touched the wood, as well as in all other parts touched by the first part. The inhabitants spare themselves this effect by using a poultice of cow’s milk with white bread or corn flour, Ladoga’s onboard physician, Pyotr Ogievsky, observed while visiting California in the 1820s. The Russian doctors, convinced by frequent tests on our suffering Russian sailors, found that a lotion of Goulard water [cerate] was very helpful, and a poultice decocted from linseed and the like even more effective, but hardly better than the best remedy of all lamp oil with camphor. The ailment lasts two to three weeks, the doctor added in his observations. Toxicodendron diversilobum, otherwise known as Pacific poison oak, causes an itchy red rash typically within hours after contact with the urushiol oil on the plant. It is particularly dangerous if triggered by inhaling the smoke of burning poison oak as it can cause severe allergic respiratory problems. This was the case with the Russian sailors (please see our hand mill post) who suffered severe pain from inhaling poison oak fumes during the bread-making process. Never use poison oak shrubs to start a campfire! Poison oak is found across most of California and at Fort Ross/Metini along the trails, so please be careful when you enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Should you happen to come in contact with poison oak, CDC recommends that you immediately rinse your skin with lots of tepid water and degreasing soap, rubbing alcohol or even detergent. Also don’t forget to get all that poisonous oil from underneath your nails with a brush. It is highly recommended that you apply wet compresses, calamine lotion, or hydrocortisone cream to the skin after cleaning the affected area to reduce itching and blistering. Oatmeal baths may relieve and antihistamine may help relieve itching. Best to avoid contact altogether! Igor Polishchuk, Director of External Relations #фортросс #русскаяамерика

Reminder! FRC now hosts interactive Distance Learning opportunities to students of ALL ages! With the generous help from @calparks Keeping Parks Whole grant, we made two excellent offerings focusing on the history and the marine ecology of Fort Ross and beyond. Sign up today! https://programs.fortross.org/ #CalParksFoundation #DistanceLearning #HomeLearning #Fun #Tour #Virtual #NotYourAverageZoom #signup #JustForYou

Interactive Education is essential to the health, happiness, and development of all our youth. Now more than ever, we need to experience nature. Together, we can bring nature & history to your home or classroom by providing an interactive trip to Fort Ross your students will never forget. Fort Ross Conservancy now offers distance learning opportunities! We want to support California students, teachers, and parents by bringing the magic of Fort Ross to you. Book a live, person...alized experience for you and your favorite people, led by one of our amazing guides. For more information, contact Song K Hunter at [email protected] https://programs.fortross.org/

Reposting @laguna_foundation: ... "Over the past few months, our native plant nursery has tended to ~2,500 violets, Viola adunca, for a coastal prairie habitat restoration project at Manchester State Park. Viola adunca is the larval host plant of the endangered Behren’s Silverspot Butterfly (Speyeria zerene behrensii). The butterfly’s larvae feed solely on the Viola adunca, and a secure future for this butterfly is reliant on thriving populations of this plant. The butterfl...y's historical distribution covered much of California’s north coast, but it is now known from a single population at Point Arena. These native plants are now ready to be planted so they have time to get established with the help of winter rains. Our partners at California State Parks and Fort Ross Conservancy will plant these violets in a few weeks. We look forward to the wildflower display this spring. Find out more about this restoration project on the Fort Ross Conservancy website. #habitatrestoration #stewardship #nativeplants #endangeredspecies #CAStateParks #fortrossstatehistoricpark #botany #botanylovers #lagunafoundation #fortross See more

Flash Back Friday! Change is afoot! The cool air is getting cooler, I’ve just seen my first frosted breath in months, and the night skies have been clear and brilliant with stars. What does it all mean? It’s beginning to look a lot like winter, of course! Winter, a time for gathering with family and friends, to renew our relationships and carry out our end-of-the-year holiday traditions -- such as going out and finding the perfect tree to brighten the home! In recognition of ...Continue reading

Let’s Talk About the Weather Egor Chernykh, an agronomist with the Russian-American Company, recorded the first formal weather records in California between the years 1837 and 1840. One of the Company’s goals at Ross was to grow and supply food to their 80 settlements in Alaska, and Chernykh was sent to Ross so that he could help improve crop yields. An intrical part of his work was tracking local weather and vegetative growth patterns at the coast and inland to determine bes...t growing practices. A few decades later, California’s first official volunteer weather station was established at Fort Ross by notable Ranch-era businessman and landowner George W. Call. Call began keeping daily weather records as early as November 20, 1874 and he continued this practice until his death on March 11, 1907, after which his son, Carlos A. Call began faithfully carrying on the daily measuring and recording until 1970. Between father and son, the Call family created a valuable dataset of local weather patterns spanning nearly 100 years. Today Fort Ross Conservancy and California State Parks Aides continue the legacy of recording weather data at Fort Ross State Historic Park, taking daily readings at the weather station located in the field northwest of the Fort Compound. In addition, many FRC staffers volunteer for Beach Watch (seen here), a Greater Farallones Association and NOAA's Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary program that regularly collects and analyzes data on the Sanctuary’s coastal wildlife, natural and human-caused disturbances, and, of course, weather. The weather data collected by State Parks and FRC staff is submitted to and used by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Whether it’s sunny and windy, foggy or fair, Fort Ross State Historic Park is always a spectacular place to take in the elements while connecting to California’s rich history. - Charon Vilnai, Call House Museum Lead #weather #CaliforniaHistory #NOAA #VisitFortRoss #FortRoss #фортросс #FortRossStateHistoricPark #GreaterFarallonesNationalMarineSanctuary #CAStateParks

Looking for relaxation? If your New Year's resolution is to make more time for restful recreation, take a tip from these harbor seals and enjoy a tranquil sunset at Fort Ross State Historic Park. We can learn much by quieting down and observing wildlife such as these adorable harbor seals. These sweet marine mammals make their home at Fort Ross all year round and you can often see them resting on the small, shallow rocks near shore. Be warned a side effect of observing harbor... seals is falling in love and wanting to get close and snuggle. But these adorable creatures are very shy when they're resting on land and prefer you keep quiet, composed and watch them from a safe distance. While you must resist the urge to hug harbor seals in the wild, you can take comfort in the soft, squeezable seal hand puppets sold at our visitor center bookshop. Come enjoy the beauty of Fort Ross and stop by our store to take home your own plush seal souvenir. We are open 7 days/week, 10 AM-4:30 PM. Seal you there! - Charon Vilnai, Sea Lion Survey Project Lead #marinemammals #pinniped #HASE #HarborSeal #wildlife #nature #VisitFortRoss #fortross #farallonessanctuary #fortrossstatehistoricpark #castateparks

A most excellent #ThrowBackThursday from @medvedfred. #MasWrestling during Fort Ross Festival! We hope to be able to celebrate with everyone next summer! #VisitFortRoss #ShareYourMoments #tbt #fortross