The First Ladies of Sitka

By the 1800s, excessive gambling, drinking, and lawlessness had become a problem in the male-dominated colonies of Russian America. During this time, Western cultures viewed women as the moral guardians of society, and so in 1829, the Russian American Company decreed that the Chief Manager of the colonies must be married and must bring their wife to Alaska to help civilize the colonies. Chief Manager’s wives were meant to act as model representatives of their country, support their husbands in diplomatic