Russian colonization of the Kodiak Island Archipelago began in the mid-1700s.
A succession of Russian traders and merchants came to the area seeking
valuable sea otter pelts. Alexander Baranov established a trading post
at St. Paul Harbor in 1792. Kodiak became the first capital of Russian
America and was a major fur trading center for many years. An otter pelt
warehouse, built by Baranov, is today the Baranov Museum. The museum's
collection includes prehistoric Native artifacts, remnants of Russian
colonization, mementos of Alaska's territorial days and W.W.II memorabilia.
The most lasting legacy of the Russian era is the Russian Orthodox
religion. Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church, with its blue onion
domes, is a prominent fixture in downtown Kodiak. It houses the reliquary
of St. Herman, who was canonized at the church in 1970. Nearby are St.
Herman's Theological Seminary, the Veniaminov Museum and log chapel
commemorating the bicentennial of the Orthodox Church of America in
1994
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