In the early 1800s, Fort Ross was a thriving international community on the edge of the Spanish frontier. In 1812, the Russian-American Company built Fort Ross at Metini, a centuries-old Kashaya village. The fort had two purposes: supplying food to the company’s Alaskan settlements and serving as a base for hunting sea otters and fur seals. Russians, Native Alaskans, and Kashaya lived and worked there, while the company did business with merchants and dignitaries from Mexico, the United States, and Europe throughout Alta California. In 1841, facing a decline in the fur trade and failing crops, the company sold the buildings and its inventory. Several families later used the land for ranching, timber production, and as a stage stop. Established in 1906, Fort Ross is one of the oldest parks in the California State Parks System, and its international legacy endures as people from around the world celebrate and preserve its heritage.