SPLAVNUKHA, a creek in the north part of the Kamyshin uyezd; it begins at 51 degrees north latitude, with three sources, about 4 versts to the north‑west from the village of Topovka (Bogorodskoye). It flows first to the north‑east, then at 15 degrees east longitude from Pulkovo, it turns to the east and falls into the Karaman River, on the left side, opposite the village of Bobrovka. In addition to small rivulets, from the right it is joined by Yelkhovka Creek, on which is located the German colony of Splavnukha (Huck). The entire length of its flow is 27 vests. (Military topographical map of the General Headquarters, published 1892. See the map at the word "Sosnovka Volost.")

SPLAVNUKHA, Huck also, a German colony of the Kamyshin uyezd, Norka volost, ten versts to the south east of the colony of Norka. It is located on Yelkhovka Creek, near the Splavnukha River, from which it takes its name. It lies at 51 degrees 4 minutes north latitude, 15 minutes 3 degrees east longitude from Pulkovo. According to Klaus, it was founded between 1764 and 1766. According to information of the volost directorate, it was founded in 1764 by German Reform persons from various parts of Germany, in response to the invitation of Empress Catherine H. According to the register of foreign colonists of 1859 (Klaus, "Our Colonies,") the colony of Splavnukha belonged to the Norka okrug and had, according to the 5th revision, 1788 - 78 families, 282 males and 288 females; by the 6th revision of 1798, 87 families, 325 males and 318 females; by the 7th revision of 1816, 126 families, 592 males and 617 females; by the 8th revision of 1850, 228 families, 1752 males and 1739 females; by the 10th revision of 1857, 372 families, 2110 males and 2131 females. Land is occupied by separate households from other members of the community, for exchange or for cash, paying up to 5 rubles per soul. Privately owned land is rented on the metayage system. In their gardens, they plant, for the most part, cabbage and potatoes, then cucumbers, primarily for home use. The fields are in the three‑field system [crop rotation]. They plow with iron plows. Various production facilities were, as of 1887, 470, and 107 males worked "on the side." The most developed trades were: cabinet makers - 119, weavers 72 persons. Additionally, there were 35 smiths, 9 tanners, 34 wheelwrights, 1 paint maker, 31 millers, 1 oil press operator, 47 carpenters, 12 tailors, 55 shoemakers. The remainder were farm laborers, day laborers, shepherds, etc. Of the merchant and industrial establishments, in 1887, there were two shops selling manufactured goods, 1 variety store, 3 wine shops, 1 paint establishment, 1 sarpinka factory, 19 wind powered flour mills, 3 oil mills, 6 wheelwright's shops, 18 smithies, 1 tailor shop, 30 cabinet makers shops, and 6 tanneries (text of the provincial zemstvo, 1891, Vol. XI).

In the List of Populated Places of the central statistical committee, published in 1862, the German colony of Splavnukha/Huck, is indicated along Yelkhovka Creek, 100 versts from the uyezd city of Kamyshin, and had in 1860 322 dvory [yards], 2184 males and 2144 females, totaling 4328 souls of both sexes, a Reform church, a school, 3 oil presses, 22 mills. According to the zemstvo census of 1886, in the colony of Splavnukha were 535 households, 2565 males, 2626 females, totaling 5191 souls of both sexes, German Reform villager‑landowners. In addition, 172 families were permanently absent and 5 families totaling 25 souls of both sexes were "extraneous" [residing in the community without official permission.] There were 1457 literate males and 1519 literate females. In the 1880s many families moved from here to America. There were 440 residence buildings, of which 153 were of stone, 286 of wood, one of natural materials [sod?]. 129 were roofed with boards, 309 with straw, and 2 with earth. There were 78 industrial establishments, 3 taxed liquor shops, 4 shops. The villagers had 486 plows, 1863 working and non‑working horses, 596 oxen, 1668 cows and calves, 5904 sheep, 987 pigs, 854 goats. In 1885, the annual taxes and collections from the community totaled 17,452

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rubles, and an additional quit-rent of 760 rubles. Land allocation was 13,165 desyatinas of arable land (including 8906 desyatinas of plowed land) and 4163 of non‑arable land, totaling 17328 desyatinas of land. According to the notations, the colonists received 8906 desyatinas of tillable land, 226 desyatinas for homesteads, 316 desyatinas of hay lands, pastures of 2962 desyatinas, 528 desyatinas of forest, 214 desyatinas of scrub brush, 4163 desyatinas of non‑arable land. For the most part, the soil is black earth. At the beginning, the land was allocated according to revision souls. Such an arrangement was in effect until 1874, but because the land allocation of several families fell into disuse during the course of time, and since other members of the community reached working age and did not have an allocation, they decided to divide the land according to individual persons without awaiting another revision. According to the agreement, those persons not engaged in farming could give up their land and property to other persons within the determined period of time. The allocation by individual persons was completed in 1875, for a period of 9 years, until 1883. That year, the land was re-allocated a second time, according to the number of individual males, for a period of six years. Before that, the land allocation was for three years, per three persons.

According to information from the provincial statistical committee for 1891, there were in Splavnukha 400 dvory (households) of 3688 males and 3696 females, totaling 7384 persons of both sexes, all inhabitants. According to information from the Norka volost directorate in 1894, the colony of Splavnukha, Huck also, was located along Splavnukha River and had: a wooden church roofed with planks and consecrated in the 1840s, a German church school founded when the village was founded, a zemstvo trade school opened in 1865.

In 1894, there were here: 387 dvory [households], 4 brick buildings, 150 of native stone, and 299 of wood Four buildings were roofed with metal, 106 with planks, and 339 with thatch. In 1894, there were 3677 male inhabitants and 3632 females, totaling 7309 persons of both sexes, villager-landowners, German-Reform, comprising one Splavnukha community. The inhabitants are involved in farming; additionally there are: 7 tailors, 20 shoemakers, 32 carpenters, 6 stonemasons, 78 cabinetmakers, 27 wheelwrights, 1 cooper, 18 smiths, 1 bookbinder, and 184 weavers of sarpinka cloth. The land allocation consisted of 226 desyatinas taken by farmsteads, 8906 desyatinas of cultivated land, 214 desyatinas of scrub brush, 528 desyatinas of forest, 316 desyatinas of meadows, 2962 desyatinas of pasture, and 4163 desyatinas non‑arable land, totaling 17,318 2/5 desyatinas of arable and non-arable land. It is 10 versts to the volost village of Norka, 5 versts to the Russian village of Topovka, and 10 versts to the Russian town of Topovka, 5 versts to the colony of Gololobovka, 7 versts to the Russian village of Bobrovka, 76 versts to Saratov, and 110 versts to the uyezd city of Kamyshin.

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