Despite the fact that the events described relate to the time when technical progress had already reached the distant Siberian Irkutsk: photo studios were operating, several city newspapers were published, and writers and chroniclers actively kept the history of Irkutsk society, it turned out that the past century has preserved a surprisingly small amount of information about this person. So, the Irkutsk entrepreneur Nikolai Vasilyevich Yakovlev.

Little information has been preserved about the Irkutsk merchant Nikolai Yakovlev. But what has been preserved gives reason to present him as an exceptional entrepreneur, philanthropist and a bright personality in the appearance of Irkutsk at the end of the 19th century - a difficult time, when the city, two-thirds of which burned down in the fire of 1879, was being rebuilt.

Owner of a gun shop, dealer in the latest technical innovations, hunter, leader of the Cyclists and Automobile Club, owner of the first car in Irkutsk - even after this listing, one can say that history has treated Nikolai Vasilyevich Yakovlev with undeserved inattention.

HE MADE IRKUTIANS EQUAL
On September 15, 1894, the first gun shop opened in Irkutsk, which was located on the corner of Pesterevskaya and Bolshaya streets, in the trading house of the merchant Rodionov (now it is "Detsky Mir" at the intersection of Karl Marx and Uritsky). It was opened by the merchant Yakovlev - a well-known and respected person in the city.

This gun shop became at that time the only place in the city where weapons were sold to civilians: revolvers, rifles, carbines - both Russian and foreign made. Belgian models were especially popular - the highest quality.

Five officer shops operating in Irkutsk before this offered Mausers or Mosin rifles, which were not available to ordinary citizens. And in the shop of Nikolai Yakovlev, revolvers and rifles were sold, which ordinary citizens were allowed to have.

Here, as an analogy, an American story from the mid-19th century suggests itself - the time of the appearance of the most popular and numerous series of personal weapons - Colt revolvers. In the USA, they said then: "God created people, and Mr. Colt made them equal."
Therefore, one of Yakovlev's special merits is that after the opening of his store, weapons became more accessible to Irkutsk residents.

True, not everyone could buy a revolver then. The rules for the circulation of weapons in the late 19th - early 20th centuries are very similar to modern ones. To purchase a weapon, it was necessary to obtain permission from the police chief and the mayor. And they were sold only to reliable people. And the insane and criminal persons were deprived of the right to purchase weapons.

In those days, it was easier to buy smooth-bore weapons, long-loading weapons - old models, which were converted from former army rifles of the 19th century. Army models and other rifled weapons were allowed to be purchased only by one category of citizens - officers. By order of Nicholas II, officers could buy any weapon - automatic and even from any country in the world.
AND NOT ONLY
MERCHANT YAKOVLEV'S WEAPONS SHOP. IRKUTSK, 1894.

PROGRESS
MERCHANT

Along with weapons, Yakovlev's shop sold hunting and fishing gear. In the East Siberian Calendar, Nikolai Vasilyevich is also mentioned as a trader in technical innovations of that time: gramophones, record players, records, typewriters, telephones, fireproof steel cabinets, lathes, bicycles, and Singer sewing machines. Such an assortment distinguished many shops of that time, which were registered as weapons shops.
Later, Moscow merchants Abachin and Orlov, whose gun shop was located on Bolshaya Street (now Karl Marx Street), tried to compete with Yakovlev, but it did not last long. Yakovlev's shop successfully won the competition against the Moscow firm - a unique case. After 1906, Abachin and Orlov's shop is lost in all lists. As Sergei Shupert believes, trade in Irkutsk has obviously become completely unprofitable for them.
- It is a symptomatic phenomenon that technical innovations were collected under the brand of gun shops, - says Sergey Shupert, a senior researcher at the Irkutsk Museum of Local History. - The fact is that weapons in Russia, both local and foreign, were very expensive. The capital turnover of gun shop owners was quite high. Only wealthy merchants could afford a wide range of industrial goods in their shops, which also applied to Yakovlev. Considering that there was always a serious famine and corresponding demand for industrial goods in Siberia, the capital of arms and technical innovation dealers rapidly increased.
SOCIETY OF SIBERIAN HUNTERS
SEMYON RODIONOV ON THE RIGHT, POSSIBLY HIS FRIEND NIKOLAI YAKOVLEV IS NEXT TO HIM
The name Yakovlev is mentioned together with such merchant families as Myasnikov and Popov back in 1882 in connection with the appearance of the first bicycles in Irkutsk.

At that time, such means of transportation were incomprehensible to many residents, horses were afraid of them, and cabbies even wrote complaints. It turns out that cyclists managed to knock down horses. As a result, the police chief banned cycling around the city.

In May 1882, as the writer and historian, employee of the Irkutsk City History Museum Ivan Kozlov, tells, the city society allocated 13 dessiatines of land in a birch grove in the suburb of Glazkovo to the cycling society - now this place is occupied by the Paris Commune Park.

And at the cyclodrome on Kaisky Mountain, a whole sports town was created with running tracks, a children's attraction "giant steps", croquet, skittles, and even children's bicycles. The place was very convenient for cross-country.

The Irkutsk residents really liked the cyclodrome - it was decided to hold many city holidays there. And already in September of the same year, the city saw its first bicycle races.

According to other sources (the chronicle of Nita Romanov), the cyclodrome - a bicycle track - officially opened in Irkutsk on May 30, 1893. On the day of the cyclodrome opening, there were about 100 bicycles of the brands "Dux", "Safati", "Rudge and Coventry" in the city.

And history has also preserved the following facts from the life of the cyclodrome. In 1894, the city's firefighters with a banner went behind the cyclodrome, to Glazkovo, where a celebration and treat for the lower ranks took place. Moreover, a summer theater was built at the cyclodrome, and in the summer of 1896 a trio played music there: Medpin - flute, Moshnevich - cello, Gershevich - clarinet. And on the days of the coronation that same year, fireworks were launched on the Angara and Irkutsk, tar barrels were lit, and balloons were raised. And two months earlier, intending to get to Moscow in time for the ceremonial events of laying the crown on the head of Tsarevich Nikolai, who had visited Irkutsk five years earlier, from here, from the cyclodrome, two cyclists Alfimov and Raspopin rode their bicycles to Moscow - round-the-world travels were becoming fashionable.

In 1900, the first women's competitions-races were held at the cyclodrome: two athletes competed - sisters, and the elder one beat the younger one. Sports were becoming a family affair.
IRKUTSK CYCLODROME
SOCIETY OF MOTORISTS AND CYCLISTS. IRKUTSK, BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY.
THE FIRST CAR
IN IRKUTSK
Yakovlev surprised Irkutsk residents with his first automobile, which he himself brought from France. This day - July 1 (July 14, new style) 1899 can be considered the beginning of the automobile era in Irkutsk. Later, the merchant became the chairman of the Irkutsk societies of motorists and cyclists.

The newspaper "Eastern Review" N149 for 1899 reports: "At present, on the streets of the city you can see an automobile brought by Mr. Yakovlev from France... It is heated by gasoline. Horses are completely indifferent to the automobile. The automobile will be at the cyclodrome in a few days, where those who wish can ride it for a small fee for charitable purposes."

In the Irkutsk chronicle of Nita Romanov, the following is recorded on this occasion: "On July 1 (old style) 1899, Mr. N.V. Yakovlev brought from France a car heated by gasoline and capable of going 15 miles per hour. Three people could ride it."

From that moment on, the streets of Irkutsk became dangerous for pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages. Yakovlev's occasionally appearing fast-moving motor carriage began to cause a slight fright in both.

Yakovlev was one of the first traders who began selling cars in 1906. Nita Romanov reports that the distribution of such cars was associated with great difficulties due to their high cost. But Yakovlev's example was contagious. Some influential citizens of the city began to order various models of self-propelled carriages from abroad.

When the number of cars belonging to Irkutsk merchants, the governor-general, and the headquarters of the military district exceeded ten, the technical department of the city administration was forced to develop rules that would be mandatory for driving motorized carriages on the streets.
CAR OF THE LATE 19TH - BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY
STORY
But cars, along with bicycles, were just a hobby, and Nikolai Vasilyevich's main occupation - both for the soul and for the good - was weapons and hunting. Historian Sergei Shupert notes that for a long time, sport and amateur (but not commercial) hunting was part of the lives of only wealthy people from society. It was too expensive a pleasure.

Yakovlev was a member of a hunting society, and, therefore, he was a very wealthy merchant. The chairman of the hunting society at that time was merchant Sergei Nikolaevich Rodionov - a great friend of Nikolai Vasilyevich.

There was a special connection between Yakovlev and Rodionov. Yakovlev's gun shop was located in the house of Sergei Nikolaevich's father - Nikolai Lvovich Rodionov*, a merchant and tea merchant. Tea merchants are some of the richest merchants in Irkutsk, monopolizing the tea trade through Kyakhta. The merchants transported tea to the West, to European Russia, and, being the richest people, they participated in various concessions, including the "Lena Gold Mining Partnership" and many, many others.

- The mental and business connection between these two merchants was probably born out of their love for hunting, as well as their love for such technical innovations as cars, - notes Sergei Shupert. - By the way, Sergei Rodionov became the second owner of a car in Irkutsk. And after some time, Yakovlev, with the help of Rodionov, opened his second store after the gun shop, where he sold only cars - this time on Ivanovskaya Street (now Proletarskaya).

Nikolai Yakovlev, as the leader of the cyclists' and motorists' societies, participated in a number of events directly related to their activities. For example, on June 18, 1907, Yakovlev met in Irkutsk an automobile rally from Beijing to Paris, organized on the initiative of the French newspaper "Matin".

The first to go was an Italian crew in the car "Italia", driven by Prince Scipione Borghese, traveling with his wife Anna-Maria. Yakovlev and Rodionov, who met them, invited the guests to Rodionov's house, where they spent the night. The next day, a cordial celebration of the arriving guests took place at the cyclodrome. And on June 20 at 11 o'clock in the morning, the prince and his companions, accompanied by the Irkutsk Cycling Society, set off on their further journey.

Incidentally, the remaining participants in the rally, five more cars, arrived in Irkutsk only on June 22. They stayed at the Grand Hotel and the next day continued along the route.
And Irkutsk historian Sergei Shupert told our magazine about some more facts from the life of the merchant Yakovlev:

- As a member of the city council, Yakovlev was obliged to actively participate in the life of the city. He contributed to the reconstruction of the city after the fire of 1879: he gave his personal money for construction, including for the cathedrals and churches of Irkutsk. Perhaps, like Sergei Rodionov, he participated in the construction of the Kazan Cathedral. It is known that the Rodionov father and son took on a contract for the delivery of stone for the construction of this cathedral.

Corr.: Is there any information about the entrepreneurial qualities of this merchant?

- Yakovlev's style of doing business was very typical for that time. If you compare the advertising of Yakovlev's gun shop with other similar shops, they are similar in many ways. For example, the range of goods at the main competitor - the Abachin and Orlov store is almost identical to Yakovlev's and other stores in Siberia and European Russia. But the fact that Yakovlev managed to oust Muscovites from Irkutsk speaks of the exceptional entrepreneurial qualities of Nikolai Vasilyevich.

... By the beginning of the October Revolution, several gun stores were already operating in Irkutsk. All of them ceased to exist after the change of power in the country. But the founder of an entire trend in local trade did not live to see this. Merchant Nikolai Yakovlev died in 1916.
KAZAN CATHEDRAL
This is all that we have managed to find about the Irkutsk entrepreneur Nikolai Yakovlev with the great help of Irkutsk historians. However, many pages of his life, unfortunately, will remain undisclosed.

Was Nikolai Vasilyevich married? Did he have children? It is known that he lived near Tikhvinskaya Square (now Kirov Square) in a house that no longer exists. Historians have not been able to establish the exact address of this house.

It is now difficult to guess what else Nikolai Yakovlev did besides trade. Probably, it was he who helped his friend Sergei Rodionov buy the first airplanes in Irkutsk, which Rodionov donated to the Irkutsk Aviation Society just before the First World War.

Not a single portrait of Nikolai Yakovlev could be found in the Irkutsk archives. However, the local history museum has not lost hope. There is information that a joint portrait of Yakovlev and Rodionov with Prince Borghese was made near Rodionov's house on Shelashnikovskaya Street (now Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsiya Street). This portrait may exist somewhere in Italy.

* Nikolai Lvovich Rodionov (?-1902) - one of the oldest Irkutsk merchants. The Preobrazhenskaya parish school was built and maintained with his money. He died in Irkutsk and was buried on May 24, 1902 in the cemetery within the Znamensky Monastery.
Olga Mikhailova
http://www.kapitalpress.ru/kapitalist/archive/2006/16/391/
"Kapitalist", Irkutsk magazine for entrepreneurs № 6 (16) December 2006 - January 2007 2006

http://irkipedia.ru/content/yakovlev_nikolay_vasilevich
Irkpedia, encyclopedia and news of Priangarye

baik-info.ru/pervyy-avtomobil-v-irkutske
Information Agency "Baikal Info"

http://www.pribaikal.ru/obl-events/article/3495.html

Love your region, there are many interesting things in it, in each one.
FROM THE EDITORS OF THE SOURCE
MATERIALS AND SOURCES USED
ALWAYS IN TOUCH
CONTACTS
st. Timiryazeva, 9, Irkutsk, Russia
+7 (950) 065-83-59
info@yakovlevhotel.ru
IRKUTSK CENTER
PHONE AND MAIL