The place of abuses and illegalities": Turukhansk in the late 18th - early 19th centuries

The article aims to characterize one of the most northern towns of the Russian Empire in the late 18th - early 19th centuries -Turukhansk. On the basis of a diverse range of sources, including Zamechaniya [Observations] written by the first civil Governor of Tomsk Province Vasiliy S. Khvostov, the first among the administrators of the high level to visit the Turukhansk region and its capital, the appearance of the town, the composition, daily life and activities of its inhabitants have been reconstructed. The problems which local population and authorities faced have been analyzed. Among them were bad location, decrease in the fur trade, difficulties in food supply, abuses of administration, extreme poverty of inhabitants. By the end of the 18th century Turukhansk was almost completely dependent on Yeniseisk, the wealthy merchants of which finally concentrated trade in the Turukhansk region in their hands, considering it as their inalienable patrimony. Almost all the necessary food and industrial products were delivered from Yeniseisk. Poverty and the inability to find work in Turukhansk forced the population to leave it and to settle around. The measures proposed for the solution of those challenges have been reviewed. For instance, it has been revealed that the search for a more suitable location for Turukhansk had been carried out since the second half of the 18th century; however, due to the lack of funds this plan was delayed for more than a hundred years. Thus, for several decades, the status of this remote northern area remained almost completely intact, and the old problems still remained relevant and required solutions. However, the surviving evidences of the contemporaries indicate, on the one hand, the concern of both regional and central authorities about the situation in the development of North Siberian territories, the necessity of their inclusion in the economic, social and cultural space of the country, on the other hand, these documents show the existing difficulties in this challenge, requiring well-thought measures and a large financial investment.

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