Far North Construction Trust Expedition. Collection of photos.

N.p., 1933–1939.
62 photos.

In good condition, small tears, wear to edges, small losses to some photo edges, stains, cracks, Trust stamps to verso.

Due to the Great Depression in the West in the early 1930s, the ratio of gold prices to industrial equipment became unusually favorable, allowing Soviet Russia, which had begun industrialization, to purchase the necessary machines and equipment. In 1931, Dalstroy (Far North Construction Trust) was established by the OGPU (predecessor of the NKVD) to manage road construction, gold mining, exploration, and the production of other strategically important minerals in the Magadan-Chukotka region of the Russian Far East (Kolyma). Work in extreme northern conditions was carried out by civilians employed by Dalstroy as laborers and prisoners from various forced labor camps (around 80 Gulag camps) scattered across a vast territory under the trust's jurisdiction.
This collection includes photos depicting wildlife, the daily life of researchers, mining and gold panning activities, equipment (including foreign-made), and indigenous peoples. One of the photos shows Oroch women, members of the Oroch (self-designation - Nani), a Tungusic-speaking people who settled in eastern Siberia. In the early 1930s, the Orochi National District was established but later dissolved and merged with the Sovetsk District 'due to a shortage of native population'. It is worth noting that there are three ethnic groups with similar names: Oroch, Oroqen, and Orok people. Although the photo is labeled as 'Oroqen' on the back, it is likely a mistake by the photographer.

Provenance: Private collection of geologist and one of the early discoverers of gold in Kolyma, Sergei Rakovsky (1899–1962), who served at Dalstroy for many years.