This historic event took place on August 21, 1732. Russian explorers aboard the ship “Saint Archangel Gabriel” were the first Europeans to reach the Alaska Peninsula. “We observed that it was not an island, but a vast land, with yellow sandy shores, yurts along the coast, and many people living on that land…” recalled one of the expedition members, Ilya Skurikin. The “Saint Archangel Gabriel” approached the peninsula near what would later be known as Cape Prince of Wales, but the crew was unable to land due to bad weather. Later, the ship circled the cape, and local inhabitants approached in small boats. Through an interpreter, the natives told the Russians about the wealth of their land: “There are forests and rivers… There are wild reindeer, sables, foxes, and river beavers.” However, the explorers were unable to thoroughly investigate this “great land.” Due to the poor condition of the ship, they were forced to hastily return to Kamchatka. The 1732 expedition of the “Saint Archangel Gabriel” marked an important milestone in the Russian colonization of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, leading to the establishment of what would later be known as Russian America.