Aleksei "Vasilii" Kononov / Ivanov

The Lebedev-Lastochkin Company sent the first Russian promyshlenniki to investigate the resources of the lower Yukon River in 1790. The party, led by the hunter Aleksei (or Vasilii) Ivanov, traveled from Iliamna Lake to the Kuskokwim and Yukon rivers. Ivanov reported on the extensive fish and game resources and the many people inhabiting the region. The discovery of the Kuskokwim River is credited to Aleksei Ivanov in the early 1790’s.