Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinskiy, Russia

History

A settlement called Alexandrovskaya on the present site of the town was first recorded in 1862. In 1869, an agricultural farm was established there, which later grew into the village of Alexandrovka. At the time, it was known as Otchishi (落石, Ochīshi) among Japanese.

In 1881, a military post was established and became known as Alexandrovsky. The outpost served as the administrative center for managing katorga, prisons, exile settlements, and the whole island until the October Revolution. Anton Chekhov lived here in 1890 while gathering material for his book The Sakhalin Island. According to the 1897 census, the settlement had a population of 3,860, 87% male and 13% female, and 69,6% Russian, 6.9% Tatar, 6.8% Polish, 5.5% Ukrainian, 1.5% German, 1.2% Armenian, 1.2% Jewish, 1.1% Circassian.

Town status was granted to Alexandrovsky in 1917. During the Russian Civil War the town was governed by Alexander Tsapko, the town's radio operator. It fell under the jurisdiction of White Russia until January 1920. An urprising resulted in Tsapko aligning northern Sakhalin with the Zemstvo of Maritime Territory. His governance would come to an end when Alexandrovsk was occupied by the Japanese in April 1920. During the occupation, it was known as Akō (亜港町, Akō-chō; lit. 'A-Port City')

In 1926, the town was renamed Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky to distinguish it from other places named Alexandrovsk.

From the History section of Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky (town) on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.