3 MAIN discoveries by Russian navigator Semyon Dezhnev

Discoverer and navigator Semyon Dezhnev (1605-1673) was one of the most prominent Russian travelers. He was born into a family of Pomors and, from his youth, began to travel the northern seas and rivers. Below, we’ve highlighted his major discoveries.

1. The Strait between Asia & North America

The Strait between the continents is named after another Russian explorer, Vitus Bering, who passed through it in 1728 and described it. However, it was actually Semyon Dezhnev who discovered it first. 

Dezhnev served as a Cossack in the Yakutsk ‘ostrog’ (wooden fortress), where he was engaged in collecting ‘yasak’ (fur tax) and developing new territories. This part of Russia was still very little explored back then.  

Cape Dezhnev.

In 1648, he set out on a large expedition. In three months, the Cossacks reached Cape Bolshoy Kamenny Nose, the extreme mainland point of Eurasia on the shore of the Strait, from the mouth of the Kolyma River. This cape is now named after him. Some researchers believe that he may have reached the shores of Alaska, as well. 

Dezhnev described both the cape, the strait and the islands (Diomede) in a report that was kept in the Yakutsk fortress and was found only in the 19th century. The traveler himself was not trained in writing, so all his reports were recorded from his words.

2. Kolyma River

At that time, rivers were the main “roads” of the country, allowing people to access other countries and seas. Dezhnev discovered new transport routes in Siberia and the Far East, regions rich in furs.  

The monument to Dezhnev in Veliky Ustyug.

In 1643, he sailed down the Indigirka River together with a group of Cossacks in search of new lands. They entered the open sea and moved eastward, reaching the previously unknown navigable Kolyma River. There, the Cossacks founded an ‘ostrog’, where the town of Srednekolymsk stands today, where the Cossacks served until their expedition to the Cape Bolshoy Kamenny Nos.

3. Chukotka Peninsula

The expedition of Dezhnev in painting.

The territory of Chukotka (and, in general, all lands beyond the Kolyma River) was discovered by the Russians during the expeditions of Semyon Dezhnev. Moreover, Dezhnev was the first to circumnavigate the Chukotka Peninsula and found the first Russian settlement on this land.

By the beginning of 1649, his expedition had reached the mouth of the Anadyr River. There, the Cossacks founded the Anadyr fortress (it was abolished at the end of the 18th century) and explored the territory for several years. 

At the same time, Dezhnev discovered a large rookery of walruses and walrus ivory was highly valued along with furs. 

The result of the expedition was a detailed description of landscapes, conditions for navigation along the river, as well as stories about the inhabitants of Chukotka. All this contributed to the development of the hard-to-reach region. 

By the way, Dezhnev himself is said to have distinguished himself with diplomatic skills, resolving disputes with the locals peacefully. He himself ended up marrying a Yakut woman.