Sunday, August 15, 2010

A long way from Russia

I had to travel from one part of Northern California to another part of Northern California yesterday. I have traveled this area countless times in my lifetime, and had never had the opportunity to stop at the cemetery at the Fort Ross (California State Park) cemetery. I LOVE Fort Ross, and highly recommend it, if you are ever driving between Jenner and the Northern Coast. The last Saturday of every July, the volunteers dress up as 1820's inhabitants of the Fort, and it is a lot of fun.
Fort Ross was a Russian Fort that helped to support the (sea otter) fur trade, and has been bought and sold until the State of California made it into a State Park! I could spend an entire day here and still not get enough!!
As with all Forts, there is also a cemetery. Although the photo below makes it appear as though the cemetery is right next to the Fort, it is actually a bit of a (curvy) drive away. I did pull over at a turnout and walk through the wooden fence. This is the beautiful view!

All of the crosses are wooden, and unmarked. They are beautiful in the traditional Russian Orthodox style. There is beautiful ocean view, and I was very lucky that the sun was out while I was there.
I have always been fascinated by immigration. I can not imagine leaving my "home country" and "most of my family" behind to go to the "new world" (either by choice, force or job). Taking into consideration that a simple letter could take a year, living and dying in a new country must have been a scary task. Even if you have an ancestor that died here, finding their specific grave would be impossible.
Thank you for reading!

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