Teamsters and the carriage racing in north-west Siberia (late 17th - early 19th centuries)

The article examines the post station society of northwestern Siberia from the late 17th to the early 19th centuries, which is due to the insufficient study in contemporary historiography of the specifics of the organization and service of postmen in the border territories of the Russian state. The purpose of the study is to trace the formation and development of the post service in northwestern Siberia (17th to early 19th centuries). The objectives of the research are to study the mechanisms of organizing post settlements; identify the peculiarities of placing postmen along transport routes; determine the structure of postmen's activities; and demonstrate the features of transportation in northwestern Siberia. The object of the study is the system of post service as an element of the transport infrastructure of northwestern Siberia (17th to early 19th centuries). The subject of the research is the social organization, economic activity, and interaction of carriers with state institutions. Methodology : the complex application of historical-genetic, comparative-historical, structural-functional, and statistical methods allowed for a comprehensive reconstruction of the process of formation and development of the post service in northwestern Siberia, revealing the peculiarities of organizing post settlements, analyzing the socio-economic status of postmen, and determining their role in the formation of the transport system of this remote area. The novelty of the work lies in the comprehensive study of the specifics of the organization of the post service on the outskirts of the Russian state, highlighting the peculiarities of managing carriers locally, taking into account natural-climatic and landscape features, and analyzing the post service's practices. During the study, stages of the formation of the post service in the Ob North were sequentially identified, based on which the geography of the settlement of postmen was characterized, and the types of their activities were systematized, establishing the key role of the Demyan and Samara postmen in the development of the transport system in the Ob North. An important contribution of the study is the revelation of the mechanisms of integrating Siberia into the social and economic space of the Russian Empire through the transport system. The research demonstrated the interconnection between the evolution of state management and the transformation of the post service. The fact that the economic activity of the post society in the Ob North was multi-faceted is of particular significance, as the postmen represented a unique socio-professional group that combined the functions of state carriers with conducting their own households.