Oskemen

Oskemen stands at the confluence of the Ulba and the Irtysh, where the latter emerges from the Altai mountains into the steppe. Its Russian name, Ust-Kamenogorsk, evokes this passage out of the rocky mountains. The meeting of the two rivers made the place a useful point for a fort and trading post on the upper Irtysh.

In 1720 an expedition led by Ivan Likharev travelled up the Irtysh toward Lake Zaysan in search of gold. On its return, Likharev chose the site for a fortress at the entrance to the mountains. Construction was entrusted to engineer Captain Letrange, while Lieutenant Colonel Stupin was sent from Semipalatinsk to command it. The new post stood at the southern end of the Russian fortified line along the Irtysh, joining river travel and commerce to the military defence of an expanding frontier.