Ivan Petrof (explorer)
Encyclopedia
Ivan Petrof was a soldier, writer, and translator who for many years was regarded a a major authority on Alaska. According to historian Terrence Cole, Petrof "holds the distinction of probably telling more lies about Alaska that were believed for more years than any other person in history."
Petrof worked for H.H. Bancroft and was an author of Bancroft's History of Alaska. He traveled to Sitka in 1878 to collect and translate source material. According to Cole, a dozen of the documents he returned with were complete forgeries (though this was not recognized until many years later).
Petrof was special agent of the United States
Tenth Census (1880) for Alaska
. He traveled extensively in Alaska and then prepared the Report on the Population, Industries, and Resources of Alaska, which forms 189 pages of Volume VIII of the Tenth Census, published in 1884. This report and two general maps of Alaska were issued by the Census Office, one dated 1880 and the other 1882. Petrof's census results are still cited; in this context historian Stephen Haycox writes that "in the final analysis his work has been considered generally reliable and hugely influential."
A preliminary version of the report on the population, industries, and resources of Alaska was published early in 1881 as House of Representative Ex. Doc. No. 40, Forty-sixth Congress, third session. This report contains a general map of Alaska showing Petrof's travel route for his census work. He traveled through Kodiak
, the Shumagin Islands
, Sannak
, Belkofski
, Unalaska
, Unimak
, Atka
, the Pribilof Islands
, and St. Michael
. He also journeyed for considerable distances up the Yukon
and Kuskokwim
rivers.
After 1880 he lived in Kodiak, Alaska
. From 1883-1887 he was assistant collector of Customs at Kodiak. Subsequently he was director of the 1890 census for Alaska.
In 1892, while writing up the census results, he was asked to serve as a translator for the US State Department in connection with the Bering Sea Arbitration
. It was discovered that he had inserted his own interpolations into the translated Russian documents; this caused great embarrassment to the United States since the translations had already been submitted to the tribunal. This ended his public career and called his previous work into question. Subsequently it has been discovered that much of what he said and wrote about his own experience was false.
Petrof Bay
on Kuiu Island
in the Alaska Panhandle
is named after Ivan Petrof.
Petrof worked for H.H. Bancroft and was an author of Bancroft's History of Alaska. He traveled to Sitka in 1878 to collect and translate source material. According to Cole, a dozen of the documents he returned with were complete forgeries (though this was not recognized until many years later).
Petrof was special agent of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Tenth Census (1880) for Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. He traveled extensively in Alaska and then prepared the Report on the Population, Industries, and Resources of Alaska, which forms 189 pages of Volume VIII of the Tenth Census, published in 1884. This report and two general maps of Alaska were issued by the Census Office, one dated 1880 and the other 1882. Petrof's census results are still cited; in this context historian Stephen Haycox writes that "in the final analysis his work has been considered generally reliable and hugely influential."
A preliminary version of the report on the population, industries, and resources of Alaska was published early in 1881 as House of Representative Ex. Doc. No. 40, Forty-sixth Congress, third session. This report contains a general map of Alaska showing Petrof's travel route for his census work. He traveled through Kodiak
Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak is one of 7 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island, Kodiak Island Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through this city either via ferryboat or airline...
, the Shumagin Islands
Shumagin Islands
The Shumagin Islands are a group of 20 islands in the Aleutians East Borough south of the mainland of Alaska, USA, at54°54'–55°20' North 159°15'–160°45' West. The largest islands are Unga Island, Popof Island, Korovin Island, and Nagai Island. Other islands include Andronica, Big Koniuji, Little...
, Sannak
Sannak Island
Sanak Island is an island in the Fox Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in the U.S. state of Alaska, located at . Two famous shipwrecks, one in 1906 and another in 1943, occurred near Sanak. Like many of the other Aleutian Islands, Sanak was inhabited by the Aleut people for thousands of years...
, Belkofski
Belkofski, Alaska
Belkofoski is a small community located in the Aleutians East Borough in Alaska.- Location :Belkofski is located on a point at the eastern end of the Alaska Peninsula, 12 miles southeast of King Cove.- History :...
, Unalaska
Unalaska, Alaska
Unalaska is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area of the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalaska is located on Unalaska Island and neighboring Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Islands off of mainland Alaska....
, Unimak
Unimak Island
Unimak Island is the largest island in the Aleutian Islands chain of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the easternmost island in the Aleutians and, with an area of 1,571.41 mi² , the ninth largest island in the United States and the 134th largest island in the world. It is home to Mount...
, Atka
Atka
Atka may refer to:*Atka, Alaska, a city in the United States*Atka, Russia, an urban-type settlement in Magadan Oblast, Russia*Atka Island, an island in the Andreanof Islands*Atka Iceport, an iceport in West Antarctica...
, the Pribilof Islands
Pribilof Islands
The Pribilof Islands are a group of four volcanic islands off the coast of mainland Alaska, in the Bering Sea, about north of Unalaska and 200 miles southwest of Cape Newenham. The Siberia coast is roughly northwest...
, and St. Michael
St. Michael, Alaska
St. Michael is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 368.-Geography:St. Michael is located at on the east side of St...
. He also journeyed for considerable distances up the Yukon
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
and Kuskokwim
Kuskokwim River
The Kuskokwim River or Kusko River is a river, long, in Southwest Alaska in the United States. It is the ninth largest river in the United States by average discharge volume at its mouth and seventeenth largest by basin drainage area.The river provides the principal drainage for an area of the...
rivers.
After 1880 he lived in Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak is one of 7 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island, Kodiak Island Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through this city either via ferryboat or airline...
. From 1883-1887 he was assistant collector of Customs at Kodiak. Subsequently he was director of the 1890 census for Alaska.
In 1892, while writing up the census results, he was asked to serve as a translator for the US State Department in connection with the Bering Sea Arbitration
Bering Sea Arbitration
The Bering Sea Arbitration arose out of a fishery dispute between Great Britain and the United States in the 1880s which was closed by this arbitration in 1893.-Origins:...
. It was discovered that he had inserted his own interpolations into the translated Russian documents; this caused great embarrassment to the United States since the translations had already been submitted to the tribunal. This ended his public career and called his previous work into question. Subsequently it has been discovered that much of what he said and wrote about his own experience was false.
Petrof Bay
Petrof Bay
Petrof Bay is a small bay on the west side of Kuiu Island in the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska, United States. It is located at and opens into the Chatham Strait....
on Kuiu Island
Kuiu Island
Kuiu Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska. It lies between Kupreanof Island, to its east, and Baranof Island, to its west. The island is long, and 10–23 km wide. It is nearly cut in two by Affleck Canal. It has of land area, making it the 15th largest...
in the Alaska Panhandle
Alaska Panhandle
Southeast Alaska, sometimes referred to as the Alaska Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, which lies west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The majority of Southeast Alaska's area is part of the Tongass National Forest, the United...
is named after Ivan Petrof.
Works
- Journal of a Trip of Alaska, 1878
- Map of Alaska and Adjoining Regions, 1880
- Map of Alaska and Adjoining Regions, 1882
- Report on the Population, Industries, and Resources of Alaska, in the Volume VIII of the Tenth Census, published in 1884