Ivan Yakovlevich Slovtsov (1844-1907)

An outstanding researcher, a teacher, and an organizer of the museum, Ivan Slovtsov was born in 1844 in Tyumen. He went to the Tobolsk gymnasium, and then became a student of the Kazan University, where he studied natural sciences. Having graduated from the university Slovtsov worked in Omsk as a teacher at the Siberian military gymnasium. It was at that time that he got seriously interested in research work. In order to prepare his lectures he undertook a number of expeditions to different parts of Siberia. He brought some interesting archaeological pieces out of the expeditions, and presented them to the museum of the St.-Petersburg pedagogical institute.

In 1870 Slovtsov was elected a member of the Russian geographical society, and in 1876 – vice-president of the Siberian section of the IIId World Congress of oriental studies in St.-Petersburg. In 1877 Slovtsov acted as a founder of the Western-Siberian branch of the Russian geographical society in Omsk. The end of the 70th years of the XIXth century was the most prolific period in the scientific career of Slovtsov. He undertook a number of expeditions to northern and southern parts of Siberia, which resulted in most significant published works of the researcher. In 1879 Slovtsov was appointed Director of the Tyumen Alexandrovski vocational college built on the means of a merchant Podarujev. Through Slovtsov’s efforts a number of advanced methods of teaching were introduced, and a rich library was collected. Slovtsov brought to Tyumen a lot of unique exhibits out of his expeditions that laid the basis for the Tyumen museum of local lore, history and economy, of which Slovtsov was the founder. Slovtsov made a contribution to archaeological researches in the Tyumen vicinities. It was he who excavated some skeletons of relict animals, ancient towns and burial mounds.