The reconstruction of the last route of Eric Laxman on the section of the Moscow-Siberian tract “Tyumen – Dresvyanka”

Elena Makarova, PhD student at University of Tyumen

In the XVIII century the only way of communication in the Russian Empire was the Moscow-Siberian tract (see Fig. 1). Taking into account the peculiarities of the trunk road device, the author assumes that the last way of the scientist along the tract was inseparably connected with the pits (stations) located on it. The purpose of the work is an attempt to determine the names of postal stations according to the sources, chronologically close to 1795, and studies of local historians – contemporaries.

Within the limits of Western Siberia the way “Tyumen – Tobolsk” was significantly populated since the half of the XVII century (Kabo, 1949, p. 144). Coachmen resettled in the city of Tyumen to service the postal route “…drove the yam race from Tyumen to Tobolsk and to Turinsk…” including on fare cards, for which they kept sleds and carts (Kabo, 1949, pp. 77-78).  According to the notes of P. Pallas (see Fig. 2) there were 6 stations on the section “Tyumen – Tobolsk” (see Tab. 1) (Pallas, 1786, p. 474). The academician noted the commendable order observed “…on this road between the coachmen, who live at the stations in 33 and 50 versts divided for the transportation of those traveling here” (Pallas, 1786, p. 474).  In the XVIII century an attempt was made to lay a new road to the city of Tobolsk, bypassing the city of Tyumen. The “old” road through the city of Tyumen, Pokrovskaya Sloboda and the v. Turba was subsequently retained (Kabo, 1949, p. 145). In the modern edition on the section “Tyumen – Tobolsk” there are more stations, the names of which do not coincide with the names listed by the academician (see Tab. 1) (Ryzhenko, 2020, pp. 143-146).

From the town of Tobolsk (see Fig. 3) the tract headed to the town of Tara. This section was intensively settled in 1744-1745, and at that time it differed little from passable roads (Plesovskih, 2000, pp. 228-229).

In 1741, at the time of I. Gmelin’s voyage (see Fig. 4), there were already several postal stations on it (Kabo, 1949, p. 144).  In the source for 1773 on the section “Tobolsk – Dresvyanka” 4 camps were indicated (see Tab. 2) (Kationov, 2008, p. 324). From 1838 the route of the tract was laid along a different line “…leaving aside Tobolsk”, but modified it had a number of branches, including to the north to the city of Tobolsk (Kabo, 1949, p. 145). 

The 1842 data for the same section showed stations with different names and number of versts (see Tab. 2) (Lagus, 1890, p. 448). In the modern edition, similar names of pits were indicated, with the author additionally indicating the station “Abalak”, and the names of other pits were modified (see Tab. 2) (Ryzhenko, 2020, pp. 148-149). Local historian N. P. Plesovskikh offered his version of the names of postal stations located in a similar area (see Tab. 2) (Plesovskih, 1996).

As a result, we can conclude that the investigated part of the tract was not settled at the same time, in the earlier time the section “Tyumen-Tobolsk” was settled, much later the way “Tobolsk-Dresvyanka” was settled. Among researchers there is no unity in the nomenclature of names of postal stations located on the sections of the Moscow-Siberian road “Tyumen-Tobolsk” and “Tobolsk-Dresvyanka”. The reasons for the above-mentioned may be the changes of the routes undertaken by the authorities in the XVIII century. Finding out the names of stations on the way of the last route of E. Laxman on the section of the Moscow-Siberian tract “Tyumen – Dresvyanka” requires additional research. 

Literature:

Kabo, R.M. (1949). Goroda Zapadnoj Sibiri: ocherki istoriko-jekonomicheskoj geografii (XVII – pervaja polovina XIX vv.) [Cities of Western Siberia: Essays on Historical and Economic Geography (XVII – the first half of the XIX centuries)]. Moscow: Gosudarstvennoj izdatel’stvo geograficheskoj literatury. (in Russian)

Kationov, O.N.  (2008). Moskovsko–Sibirskij trakt kak osnovnaja suhoputnaja transportnaja kommunikacija Sibiri XVIII–XIX vv. [The Moscow-Siberian tract as the main land transport communication of Siberia in the 18th-20th centuries]. Novosibirsk: Izdatel’stvo NGPU. (in Russian)

Lagus, V. (1890). Jerik Laksman, ego zhizn‘, puteshestvija, issledovanija i perepiska. [Eric Laxman, his life, travels, research and correspondence]. Saint Petersburg: Imperatorskaja Akademija nauk. (in Russian)

Pallas, P.S. (1786). Puteshestvie po raznym mestam Rossijskogo gosudarstva. Ch. 2. Kn. 1. [Journey to different places of the Russian state. P. 2. B. 1]. Saint Petersburg: Imperatorskaja Akademija nauk. (in Russian)

Plesovskih, N. P. (2000). Istorija zemli Vagajskoj. Ocherki. [History of the Vagai land. Essays]. Tyumen: Izdatel’stvo “Vektor Buk”. (in Russian)

Plesovskih, N. P. (1996). So where was Dresvyanka? Sel’skij truzhenik, 11 September. (in Russian)

Ryzhenko, L. I. (2020). Velikij Sibirskij trakt: spravochnik. [Great Siberian tract: a reference book]. Omsk –  Tyukalinsk: Associacija «Sibirskij trakt». (in Russian)

Illustrations:

1. Map of yam and postal routes established under Peter the Great and his successors before Catherine II, 1790. http://nasledie-eao.ru/services/histori/administrativno-territorialnye-karty/karty-xviii-veka.php, date of circulation: 14 06 2024.
2. P. S. Pallas. Engraving by A. Tardieu. 18th century. Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences. http://www.ras.ru/kunstkamera/48d4be33-4b89-47cf-9d86-75371a065491.aspx#, date of circulation: 14 06 2024.
3. Plan of the city of Tobolsk from “Drawing Book of Siberia by S. Remezov”, 1701. Remezov”, 1701. http://history-maps.ru/pictures/r_140_0/s_1_1/max_598/, date of circulation: 14 06 2024.
4. I. G. Gmelin.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Johann_Georg_Gmelin.jpg,  date of circulation: 14 06 2024.