M.I. Serdyukov’s Activities during the Reconstruction of the Vyshny Volochek Watershed in 1719–1723

In 1719, the management of the works in the Vyshny Volochek watershed section was transferred by Peter I’s decree to a Novgorod merchant, Mikhail Ivanovich Serdyukov. This article reviews M.I. Serdyukov’s activities in the Vyshny Volochek watershed area in 1719–1723, during the first reconstruction of the watershed section after the construction of the Tvertsa Canal. M.I. Serdyukov’s report to Empress Elizaveta Petrovna with a description of reasons, progress and results of the works on the Volga-Baltic watershed in 1719–1723 is for the first time introduced for scientific use. In addition to already known information, a 1723 map of the Vyshny Volochek watershed, presented in the article, shows the main results of M.I. Serdyukov’s work in the described period.