Russians at the Russian Fort

 Oleg knew there was really not much to see at the Russian Fort, but he wanted to stop anyway. What remains of the fort built in the early 1800s is the volcanic rubble of the stones that once formed the walls. So he and I walked around the pile of stones and took a few pictures.

According to what I read online, the fort was created in about 1817 because the Russians wanted an outpost in the Atlantic that could be a stopping point for ships moving from Alaska west. I thought Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from her house so need for an outpost in Hawaii does not make sense to me. 

Anyway, the story gets more complicated. Kaumualiʻi, ali'i 'ai moku took control of some cargo resulting from a ship wreck. King Kamehameha I (king of all the islands) was involved in getting the goods returned. Just a side note. Can you imagine being a middle schooler faced with learning Hawaiian history and you have to learn to spell names like Kamehameha. I cheated and copied and pasted the King's name. Anyway, after negotiating with Kaumuali'i, a new plan was formed. The plan involved becoming a trading partner mostly focused on sandalwood. The fort was built to support this venture. However, the negotiations for a trading partnership fell through and after three years the Russian venture was abandoned.

There was a new addition at the fort from the last time we stopped. A statue has been added to recognize Kaumuali'i, King of Kauai. 

A shrine constructed in the Native tradition.