The Baikal Lake appeared on the map of our country in the end of XVII century. And that is the way this story began.
According to the chronicle, «…Elesko Yuryev came from Yeniseisk in 1636… with his servicemen on Lama (editor's note: previous name of Baikal)… the water is stagnant, fresh, and the fish in it are of all sorts, and the sea beast… Lama is named Baikal by Brethren peoples (editor's note: the Buryats in the descriptions of the XVII - XVIII centuries).
The news about the richness of Siberia with furs and precious metals reached Moscow. It was told that the local residents «extract silver ore from somewhere, decorate with it harness, dagger arms and women's outfits.» The Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov ordered to send there the Pentecostal Kurbat Ivanov «for the mine of new non-trivial people» (editor`s note: those who do not pay taxes) in 1641.
The Cossack gathered 74 «hunters, servants, industrial and walking» comrade and set out on his journey in 1643.
«July on the 12th day (editor`s note: July 22, according to the new style) we came to the edge of the Lama with all the military people,» - Ivanov wrote to the tsar.
The Cossack tells as if between the case about the most important discovery, he reports on the number of dues paid, and about the amount of collected fur in the petition. However, among these worries Kurbat Ivanov managed to draw a drawing of the lake, to indicate the rivers that flow into it. Thus there appeared the Baikal Lake on the map!