Project Information
In an effort to commemorate the bicentennial of the wreck of the Sv. Nikolai, a political, economic and socially significant historical event in the Pacific Northwest, a dedicated team of enthusiasts led by the Association of Washington Generals is working to construct a memorial kiosk in the Upper Hoh Valley. Following the vessel wrecking north of LaPush, the Russian American Company's crew struggled to stay alive in the wilds of the Olympic Peninsula. They survived engagements with the Quileute Tribe's warriors, who were protecting their village from outsiders, only to find that crossing the Hoh River in winter would be impossible. Efforts to gain passage across the river with members of the Hoh Tribe resulted in the women of the party being captured on one side of the river, the men stranded on the other. The captain, whose wife was one of those now separated by the river and in the custody of the Hoh Tribe's warriors, was unable to think beyond the challenges this separation presented. Timofei Tarakanov would become the default leader of the crew as they traversed into the Upper Hoh Valley, build a barracks and survive the winter of 1808/1809. The wreck, survival of the crew, and their interactions and subsequent captivity with local Native American tribes had international implications on the development of the Pacific Northwest.
The proposed memorial will consist of a kiosk highlighting the role that seven nations played in the Nikolai story: Russia, Alutiiq, Makah, Quileute, Hoh, Hawaii, and America. Utilizing durable all weather interpretive panels, similar to those used by the National Park Service, the kiosk's interpretative role will be to explain how international trade molded the Pacific Northwest and continues to do so today. Noted historian and Professor Emeritus Ken Owens has volunteered to assist in the development and editing of the interpretive signage at the kiosk. Preliminary design work has been done, via donation, to develop a model for the proposed cedar built structure similar to those constructed by the Russian American Company at Sitka, Alaska and Ft. Ross, California. Discussions are underway with members of the Russian government's consular corps to also raise funds for the project from within the Russian émigré community for this project. Initial discussions have begun with the tribal governments, as well as with a Hawaiian heritage organization to ensure proper involvement of those cultures in this effort.
Members of the Association of Washington Generals have made commitments to provide the donated labor and equipment for this project. Funding is for those "hard cost" construction related items, design, and permitting. The monument will become a tourism stop point along a roadway that sees approximately 200,000 visitors every year traveling to the Olympic National Park's Hoh River Visitor Center. Property for the kiosk's location is being donated by a local, homesteading family in the Hoh River Valley as the location for this memorial kiosk. Donation of labor and equipment usage by a local construction firm has been offered. It is estimated that the combined value of those donations is approximately $200,000.
When completed, the project will also highlight not only the role of international trade in the Pacific Northwest, but also the ability of diverse cultural groups to explain a historic event in an interrelated context.
Sv. Nikolai Shipwreck 1808