The Russian American Company, created in 1799 by Czar Paul I as a monopoly to carry on the Russian fur trade on the North American continent, had political as well as economic control of Alaska until its purchase by the United States in 1867. These records, originally at Sitka, were transferred to the U.S. State Department in 1869, and are now in the National Archives. In Russian longhand, they consist of 40 v. of Letters Sent by the Governors General, 1818-1867; 25 v. of Letters Received by the Governors General, 1802, 1817-1866; and 20 logs of vessels and journals of exploring expeditions, 1842- 1867. The Bancroft Library collection consists of microfilm, record prints, and some Cyrillic transcripts made for Robert J. Kerner, supplemented by film from the National Archives.
