Ruchyovo (Altai Territory)

The village of Ruchevo is one of the oldest settlements in the territory forming the Kuryinsky district . His story supposedly begins in 1763 . The official date of the formation of the village is 1764 , when, in accordance with the decree of the Chancellery of the Kolyvano-Voskresensky mountain authorities, the peasant Gavrila Ruchev moved to the place of the future village. It is possible that by that time several families had already lived there, as often people developed new places before they received official permission for this.

The village arose due to the discovery of copper and silver deposits in Altai, the development of mining and the construction of the Kolyvano-Voskresensky mining plant in the 20s of the 18th century . ^[3] At first, the village expanded only due to the natural increase in the number of inhabitants, then in 1893 a sharp population growth began due to immigrants from Russia. In the "List of Populated Places of the Tomsk Province for 1893" in the village of Rucheeva, 44 yards and 295 residents, including 148 males and 147 females, are shown. ^[four]

In the early 30s of the 18th century, in the vicinity of the village of Ruchevo, Berezovo-Loktevsky and Veselo-Loktevsky (Ruchevsky) mines were opened.

In Ruchevo there was a stud farm, mills on the river, two milk processing factories, blacksmithing developed, a small church was built ^[5] .

The "assigned" peasants from Ruchevo chopped wood, burned it for coal for stoves, mined and burned lime, brought firewood and ore to the factory, worked out the "cap salary" (tax and quitrent). Their duties included dam repair in the event of damage, harvesting firewood for heating factory houses and barracks, clearing wood, harvesting “breech” hay, digging ditches and trenches, etc. “Posushny salary” was expressed in a specific amount of work. For example, it was necessary to prepare firewood for burning coal 52.4 cubic meters (dues for each member of the family), transport it to the factory, unload and stack it. The work was to be performed on demand and at any time.

The "lesson" peasants were also attributed to the factory: men worked 12 hours, alternating between shifts - day and night. Two weeks worked at the factory, the third - at home. Children under 15 worked for 8 hours. Weekends and holidays workers were not supposed to ^[6] .

Over the history of its existence, the village has experienced years of ups and downs (especially strong during the Great Patriotic War and in the 90s of the 20th century, when the Mir farm collapsed).

The village is located on the foothill of the Kuryinsky district at the confluence of the Loktevka River and the smaller river Berezovka. Numerous large and small springs flow into rivers around two kilometers. The meadows are rich in forbs, there are many flat areas suitable for livestock breeding. At a distance of less than a kilometer from the village there is Belaya rock, which is a spur of the Kolyvan ridge. In the northern part there is a terrain crossed by hills, the highest point - 425 meters.

Climatic conditions correspond to the foothill region of the Kuryinsky district . The climate is due to a number of specific features that depend on the powerful Altai mountain range. The fan-shaped arrangement of mountain ranges in the northwestern part of Altai enhances the influence of the Atlantic cyclones, increasing cloud cover and rainfall, increasing winter and lowering summer temperatures. The amount of precipitation increases from 350 to 550 mm, and their level is not stable. In dry years, on the flat part of the region, there is about half as much rainfall as in wet ones ^[9] .

Near Ruchevo there are traces of ore mining in the 18-19 centuries. The search group of the local research association “Young Seekers” examined the area of ​​the village of Ruchevo at the confluence of the Berezovka and Loktevka rivers as part of the research project “Karst, caves and mines of the Loktevsky speleological site”. The group searched for the Belokamennaya karst cave, but found only a small grotto to the north-east of the village on the White Rock mountain (rock). It was formed at the site of the explosion that thundered in the mid 70's. XX century as a result of limestone mining ^[10] , which closed the entrance to the cave.

Young seekers found several dips and holes left from the mines of the former Veselo-Loktevsky mine, discovered in the early 30s. XVIII century ^[11] .

In addition to historical traces of mining activities, the region is attractive for its landscapes and untouched wildlife. The territory of the Loktevsky speleological section of Gorny Kolyvan near the village of Ruchevo is promising in terms of tourism.

In Ruchevo there is a guest house "Babulin Zaimka" ^[12] .