Ivan Stankevich. Biography

Ivan Stankevich
3 min readAug 12, 2019

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Ivan Stankevich — Russian explorer.

Ivan Stankevich was born about 1603, presumably from Moscow (according to his last name). In 1626 he became an ordinary Cossack pedestrian in Tomsk. From 1635 to 1638 he was a tenant in the Cossack detachment of Ataman Kopylov. In the spring of 1630 the detachment was sent to the Lama (Okhotsk) Sea, the head of which became Stankevich. The shortest way through the mountains from Yakutsk to the Pacific Ocean was found. In 1637 a new expedition was created on the way across the rivers. In the spring of 1638 the detachment went down the Lena River to Aldan, on the way they learned about the river Chilkor — today’s Amur.

Date of birth: 1603
Place of birth: Moscow, Russia
Date of death: 1671
Place of death: Russia

In May 1639 a new detachment headed by Stankevich was created to visit the Lama Sea. On Aladnu went down to the mouth of the river May, passed the mouth of Yudoma and began to move to the upper reaches.

Opened the ridge Dzhugzhur, built a new ship and moved to the Ulya. They walked to Lama and in August 1639 entered the Lama Sea — the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. On the Ulya, where the Evenki dili, was put wintering. In October, 20 Cossacks reached the Okhota River, went by sea and found the mouths of several rivers. The Tauja Bay was dug out. In the winter of 1639–1640 the history of the Russian Pacific Fleet began.

At the end of April 1640, they went by sea to the south, passed to the Udskaya Bay, bypassed the Shantarsky Islands and entered the Sakhalin Bay. In total, over 1700 km were studied along the way. At the mouth of the Uda River we received information about Amur, Zeya and Amguni. They reached the Amur estuary islands (modern Chkalov and Baydukov). It was impossible to reach the mouth of the Amur River, but they saw the mouth of the Uda River.

In autumn, they returned to the Aldoma estuary. And in the spring of 1641 the Dzhugjur ridge was crossed again, in July they reached Yakutsk. Further traces of Stankevich are lost. It is only known that he was sent to Tomsk. In 1646 his report was mentioned in the chronicle.

Achievements of Ivan Stankevich:

- He was the first to reach the Sea of Okhotsk
- Opened the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Gulf of Sakhalin

Dates from the biography of Ivan Stankevich:

1603 — birth
1630 — the beginning of the expedition to the Sea of Okhotsk
1639 reached the Sea of Okhotsk
1640 Entrance to the Amur estuary
1645 — Report
1647 — Cossack ataman
1671 — death.

Interesting facts about Ivan Stankevich:

- The maps produced by Stankevich were used by Kurbat Ivanov in compiling the first map of the Far East in 1642

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