Susuman
town in Russia
Susuman (Russian: Сусума́н) is a town and the administrative center of Susumansky District in Magadan Oblast, Russia, located on the Byoryolyokh River, 650 kilometers (400 mi) northwest of Magadan, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 4,439 (2021 census); 5,855 (2010 census); 7,833 (2002 census); 16,818 (1989 Soviet census).
Geography
The town lies in the Upper Kolyma region near where the Susuman River joins the Byoryolyokh. The town sits on the M56 Kolyma Highway, an unsealed track often known as the "Road of Bones", which connects Yakutsk with Magadan.
History
It was founded in 1936 as a settlement of a sovkhoz called Susuman, named after the nearby river of the same name. In 1938, the settlement was greatly expanded to become a center of gold mining in the western part of what is now Magadan Oblast under the control of Dalstroy.
Gold mining and other industrial operations in the region were largely reliant on corrective labor camps of the Gulag system, with a large number operating in Susuman's vicinity. From 1949 until 1956, Susuman was the base for one of the Soviet Union's largest corrective labor camps, the Zaplag of the Dalstroy program. During this time, up to 16,500 prisoners were kept in the camps.
One of the camp burial grounds was located beyond the town cemetery.
“Susuman” enters the record as town in Russia. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Susuman, town and Russia can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Susuman” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Susuman, town and Russia provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q196525. Authority coordinates are 62.781, 148.154. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2021, 2010, 2002 and 1989.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Susuman”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Susuman primary sources, Susuman archive and Susuman research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Susuman”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Susuman” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.