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3.4.3.wavDuring Baranov's long tenure as chief manager, he was largely left to his own initiative in administering the colony. Especially in the early period, it was common to go several years with no ships or communication arriving from Russia.
However, the Russian government sought to gain tighter control over the maturing colony after Baranov. Instead of a Russian-American Company employee serving as the chief manager, a senior Russian naval officer was appointed to the position. These naval governors would serve a five-year term. From 1818 to 1867 (when Alaska was sold to the U.S.), 13 naval officers would serve as colony governors.
Under the naval governor and his staff were civilian company officials who oversaw business matters. The colony was divided into districts. Each district had a manager who supervised the employees and fur-trading stations. These stations included forts and outlying posts in their districts. In 1828, Russian-America was divided into seven districts. These illustrate the areas under Russian control or influence:
The Kurile Islands (Russian islands south of Kamchatka)
Atka (Western Aleutian Islands)
Unalaska (Eastern Aleutians and Pribilofs)
Kodiak (including the Alaska Peninsula, Cook Inlet, and Prince William Sound)
North (Bering Sea Coast and Yukon)
Sitka (Southeast Alaska)
Ross (Ft. Ross in California and its outposts).
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