Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land

by Walter R. Borneman

This agreement in itself was very telling, and it set the tone for the exit of the Russian-American Company from the Alaskan scene. With sea otter populations declining, the Russians were clearly looking to obtain furs from sources farther inland, and they were willing to weaken their control over the mainland in exchange for a remedy to their perennial supply problems. Much of the foodstuffs were to come from farming operations in the Oregon country. In the early 1840s, this agreement worked very well, and operations were so productive that an additional 10,000 bushels of wheat were available. Ironically, Russian America finally had all the food it needed—just as things were winding down.