Amga, Russia

History

It was first founded by the Cossacks in 1652 as the ostrog (fortress) of Amga-Sloboda (Амга-Слобода). The first church was built in 1680, but it burned down later and was subsequently rebuilt a number of times. Agriculture has been conducted in the area since 1695; it was the first place in Yakutia used for growing crops.

Amga was a place of political exile in the Russian Empire, with the most famous exile being Vladimir Korolenko, who was exiled here for six years in 1879.

It was also the site for fighting during the Russian Civil War.

Somewhere in the area was the old river crossing of Amginsk. From about 1750 to 1850, a horse track led northwest to Yakutsk. Across the river, one route led south to Uda Bay and the other went southeast to Ust-Maya and from there south to Ayan. From perhaps 1662, there were a few Russian peasants in the area, but agriculture was usually unsuccessful. In 1737, Stepan Krasheninnikov noted that they had abandoned agriculture and were distinguishable from their Yakut neighbors only in religion.

From the History section of Amga (rural locality) on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.