Totma merchants - conquerors of Russian America

Totma is a small but surprisingly original town in the Vologda Region, which played an outstanding role in the history of Russian trade, colonization and navigation. Its merchants did not just succeed in their business - they became pioneers, whose trace can be felt even on the shores of America. Their wealth and taste were reflected in unique architecture, and their ambition paved the way to new lands. Let's take a look back to an era when merchant ships set sail from the banks of the Sukhona River and Totem merchants conquered the oceans.

Totma, located far from the sea coast, surprisingly became one of the centers of Russian sea trade in the XVIII century.

All thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of local merchants who established the fur trade. Their expansion first spread to Siberia and then to Russian America. The wealth gained from the furs of sables and foxes allowed them to build majestic temples and decorate the city in their unique style.

The main symbol of the spirit of discovery was Ivan Kuskov, the famous Totem traveler. He was the right-hand man of Alexander Baranov, the chief ruler of the Russian colonies in Alaska, and in 1812 he led an expedition that led to the founding of Fort Ross, the first and southernmost Russian settlement in California. Kuskov not only supervised the construction of the fort, but also established trade with local Indians, developed trades and managed the Russian colony on American soil.

Fort Ross on the Pacific coast became the most important trading post of the Russian Empire. Here they obtained food for Russian settlements in Alaska, built ships, and traded with local tribes.

Although Russia sold Fort Ross in 1841, a trace of the Russian presence here still remains: wooden buildings, an Orthodox chapel, and historical documents.

The huge wealth that merchants brought to Tot'ma allowed them not only to build houses, but also to erect temples that had no analogues in Russia. This is how the "Totem Baroque" style appeared - a unique architectural phenomenon, where Russian Orthodox traditions were combined with elements of overseas decor. The distinctive feature of this style is the cartouches on the facades of the temples, which are part of the masonry walls, reminding of distant voyages and sea victories of merchants.

Today Totma preserves the memory of its glorious ancestors. There is the Museum of Seafarers in the town, where you can learn about the voyages of Kuskov and other merchants, see maps of their routes and items brought from distant countries. And in the House-Museum of Ivan Kuskov you can feel the atmosphere of the XVIII century and learn how the entrepreneurs who developed the New World lived. Now this museum is closed for repairs, after which it is planned to open a new exposition in December 2025 for the anniversary of the countryman.

A visit to Totma is not just a trip to a small town. It is an opportunity to touch the great history of people who built unique architectural monuments and left a mark even on another continent. If you love stories about adventures, trading expeditions and amazing destinies - Totma will be a real discovery for you.