BEYOND THE PALE OF THE PAGES OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A MINING ENGINEER: UNKNOWN PAGES OF THE LIFE OF ALEXANDER SCHUPPE

Abstract

On the foundation of lifetime publication oeuvres and archival sources, most of which are used for the fi rst time, this paper examines the remaining unknown pages of life of Alexander F. Schuppe. Schuppe was a member of the “Land and Liberty” secret society and later became one of the most creative Ural mining engineers and mining industrialists, and initiated the construction of the “Magnezit” refractory products factory and the “Porogi” ferroalloy plant. The methodology of research of regional intellectual traditions of Russia, which is focused on the fi gure of Schuppe, is based on such an interdisciplinary research direction as Intellectual History. Therefore, A.F. Schuppe’s life-creation is described in the genre of intellectual biography, where the personal life and creative activities of the researched fi gure are closely intertwined with cultural and historical contexts of the era, especially the South Ural region. This article explores his genealogy, family life and political biography, communication with famous people of his time, as well as the last years of his life, which were unknown until now. The article also presents the results of the study of documentary sources related to the discovery of magnesite deposits near the village of “Satkinsky plant” was carried out, on the basis of which found the exact date and history of the discovery of these deposits by A.F. Schuppe. The appendices contain little-known publications about Schuppe in the fi rst third of the 20th century, as well as a bibliography of his works, which is preceded by a list compiled by Schuppe himself and published for the fi rst time, “Works by A.F. Schuppe”. There is an extensive list of historical, archival, and literary sources.