The author examines the peculiarities of the financial and economic activities of field associations in the second half of the 18th century, the reasons for the emergence of a single company, the role of the state in the process of its creation, the activities of G.I. Shelikhov and his wife N.A. Shelikhova, who stood at the origins of the monopoly company, as well as other problems. The book is built on an interdisciplinary approach with the use of extensive literature in Russian and English.