The Role of the Yakut Merchant V.I. Fefilov in the Development of Gold Resources in the Arctic Regions of North-Eastern Siberia and the Far East at the Beginning of the 20th Century

The main objective of the publication is to introduce into scientific circulation information from a previously unpublished source about the contribution of the Yakut merchant V. I. Fefilov to the search for gold deposits on the remote borders of the Russian Empire. The article notes that the development of gold resources in Siberia and the Far East was of strategic importance for the state. It was revealed that the firm “M. A. Kokovin and I. A. Basov” paid serious attention to the development of trade and industrial activities on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and in Chukotka. V. I. Fefilov made a significant contribution to the formation of the region's trade and transport infrastructure, took an active part in the search and development of gold resources, interacted with representatives of the administration and local residents.