The topic of social mobility has always been important to people, and in the Russian Empire, many were able to build their lives through their own efforts, or as it is commonly said today, to make themselves. One vivid example is the Russian scientist Ivan Yakovlevich Krivoschekov, born on August 19, 1854, into the family of serf peasants of Countess Stroganova.

Krivoschekov began his journey in the Solikamsk district, where he could have spent his entire life engaged in peasant labor. However, thanks to Countess Stroganova, he enrolled in a male school and received a basic education, after which he went to Moscow. There, he graduated from the Moscow Land Management School and returned home, where he began working for Countess Stroganova.

A few months after returning to Kudymkar, it became clear that the Countess's estate needed specialists in forestry. Krivoschekov received additional education from the renowned forester Teploukhov. Thus, thanks to a fortunate turn of events, Ivan Yakovlevich found a profession that became the meaning of his life, only diverting from it for military service in the guard.

For 25 years, Krivoschekov worked as a forester, but this seemingly ordinary job did not become his limit. He became famous throughout Russia for creating the first detailed maps of the Perm province and for researching several ancient settlements. For his achievements in cartography, he was awarded a bronze medal, and later a silver medal named after the geographer Semenov-Tyan-Shansky. In addition, Krivoschekov became a member of the Russian Geographical Society and gained recognition as a geographical researcher.

Ivan Yakovlevich Krivoschekov passed away on September 16, 1916, and was buried at the Volkovskoe Cemetery in Perm. Years later, a memorial plaque in his honor appeared on the wall of Perm State University, and his name was immortalized in the name of the park in Kudymkar that he founded. Thus, the son of a serf peasant became an outstanding scientist and forever entered the history of Russian geography.