George Wilghelm Steller (1709-1746)

In 1746 the world-known researcher Georg Wilghelm Steller died in Tyumen.

Steller was born in 1709, in the German land Frankonia, in the town of Bad-Windcheim. His farther was a cantor at the local gymnasium, and an organ-performer in the town’s church.

In 1737 a young promising researcher was appointed professor-adjunct of the Russian Academy of sciences. Steller participated in a number of research expeditions to Kamchatka. The expedition headed by the legendary researcher and commander Behring put forever Steller’s name in the history of the world science. During the expedition Steller managed to describe in detail geography and culture of the indigenous peoples inhabiting Kamchatka, the Aleuts and Commandor islands, and the Pacific coast of Alaska. The latter was discovered during the expedition. Steller’s contribution to studying local flora and fauna was even more significant. It was he who became the first and the last researcher to have seen a see-cow, or as it is otherwise called a Steller’s cow – a big animal of siren family totally exterminated by the middle of the XVIIIth century.

In 1746 he was arrested on his way to St.-Peterburg on a charge of having released Kamchatka residents out of prison, who had been accused of preparing a riot. Steller was convoyed to Irkustsk, though after examination he was forgiven and allowed to go back to St.-Peterburg. On the rout he stopped in Tyumen, got a sever cold and soon died. Steller’s tomb had not been preserved up to now. Supposedly, the prominent researcher was buried on the bank of the Tura river, not far from the Trinity monastery.