Fort Ross Well - California
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Bernd das Brot Team
N 38° 30.854 W 123° 14.615
10S E 478764 N 4262900
Well at an old Russian fort in northern California
Waymark Code: WMPZ3W
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 11/14/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member fi67
Views: 5
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Built in 1812, Fort Ross was the southernmost outpost of the Russian Empire in America. Until 1867, Alaska was a Russian Colony and Russian hunters and fur traders made it south all the way to what is now California.

The location of Fort Ross was chosen because of nearby fresh water and because of the abundance of sea otters, which were hunted to the brink of extinction in only 19 years, leading to the closure of the fort in 1841.

Although fresh water was available at a nearby creek, Russian commander Ivan Alexandrovich Kuskov decided to dig a well inside the fort compound to have a fresh water source in case of an attack or siege.

The settlers had to dig 34 feet until they hit a reliable source of fresh water.

Today, the well is dry, but it is one of the most photographed objects in the fort, that is now a State Park and a museum.

Visit Instructions:
Please share a self-made picture of the Draw Well and tell us something about it. Did you taste the water? You do not have to be in the picture, neither does your GPSr.
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