Locke, California

Historic Locke is in the heart of the Sacramento Delta roughly midway between Sacramento and Stockton in California. It was founded in 1915 and holds the distinction of being the only town in the United States to have been built entirely by Chinese and for the Chinese.

In the late 1800's there was a large Chinese community, 600 to 700, in nearby Walnut Grove. Many of the first levees in the Sacramento Delta were built by Chinese. They came too seek jobs after the Gold Rush and the completion of the railroad that connected the span of the United States. The Chinese population grew very fast after it became known that this delta is fertile for farming. The Chinese labored with pick and shovel, earning very little for the earth that they moved.

A piece of land was leased from George Locke following a fire that destroyed the entire Chinatown in Walnut Grove in 1915. Since it was illegal for Chinese to own land, George Locke agreed to lease nine acres to a group of Chinese who wanted to build a Chinatown to replace the one that was completely burned down in Walnut Grove.

Locke became the new Chinatown, it grew and prospered as many Chinese from San Francisco area settled here. By the 1920's, it was alive with businesses of all types. However, after WWII, the residents drifted away, lured by the promise of big cities. Today it is a quiet town of about 160 residents, fewer than half are Chinese. The original buildings remain. There is a Locke Memorial Park dedicated in 2006, to the Chinese who built the railroad, levees, agriculture and the town of Locke.

In August 2, 1970, Locke was added to the national registry of historical places.
For more information on its history, current and upcoming events in Locke please visit www.locketown.com.

Fiddletown, California

Fiddletown is a small hamlet in California, USA. Its Chinese population there once was second only to that in San Francisco. Below paragraphs are quoted from the Fiddletown Preservation Society's website.

"Fiddletown began as a mining camp during the height of the Gold Rush, with ample placer gold deposits that attracted miners from all parts of the world. The story goes that it was named by early settlers from Missouri who fiddled during slow times when there was no water in the creeks for mining, a frequent occurrence in the summer. Music was always a part of this town, but so was fiddling around. "

"By 1853 Fiddletown evolved into a trading center for nearby mining camps and for farms in the neighboring Shenandoah Valley. Its commercial area during this period of growth featured fifteen to twenty stores, four hotels, several blacksmith shops, a carpenter’s shop, four taverns, a couple of bakeries, two or three restaurants, dance halls, and even public baths. With a church, post office, and school, it was quite a civilized town. In its heyday, the town’s population was about 2,000."

"Chinese miners and merchants also gravitated to Fiddletown, occupying the southwest part of the town. By 1880, half of Fiddletown’s population was Chinese. Though the Chinese departed in the first part of the 20th Century, they left behind several early gold rush buildings that make Fiddletown unique among Sierra foothill towns. The Chew Kee herb store was inhabited for more than 100 years by Chinese residents. It is now open as a museum, containing fascinating objects from the lives of its occupants."

There are three remaining Chinese buildings, Chew Chee Store Museum, Chinese Gambling Hall, and Chinese General Store. For updates on the preservation of these and other buildings in Fiddletown, please visit www.fiddletown.info.  The last Chinese resident, Jimmy Chow, died April 1965. The three remaining buildings tell the story of the Chinese in Fiddletown.

First Chinese American Movie Star - Anna May Wong

Below is a youtube video of the making of "Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words." It is 42 minutes long.

 

Below is the video of "Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words," 56 minutes long.

 



Chinese Historical Society of Southern California

Chinese immigrants have made significant contributions to the progress and development of the United States, particularly California. But this fact was and still is omitted in the curriculum of social studies in schools. To fill this unfortunate and unjustified gap in formal education, a small group of concerned citizens met and decided to form a historical society with the mission of preserving for present and future generations the significant contributions of the Chinese pioneers. This group met on May 29, 1975 in Los Angeles. An ad hoc committee was formed with Stan Lau as convener and Norman Wong as Vice-Chairman. On November 1, 1975, 27 people attended a general meeting which formed the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (CHSSC). Officers elected at this meeting were Stan Lau, President, Jerry Shue, Vice-President, Emma Louie, Corresponding Secretary, Ann Lau, Recording Secretary, George Yee, Treasurer, Paul Louie, John Ching and Chuck Yee, Members-at-Large. A constitution for the Society was adopted January 7, 1976.

The mission statement of the CHSSC is:

To bring together people with a mutual interest in the important history and historical role of Chinese and Chinese Americans in Southern California;

To pursue, preserve and communicate knowledge of this history; and

To promote the heritage of the Chinese and Chinese American community in support of a better appreciation of our rich, multi-cultural society.

 

Chinese Labor and California Wine Industry

The content of this post is gleaned from the article, "Wine Makers of the Past" by Margie Lew, published in Gum Saan Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1, August, 1977, pp2-3, Chinese Historical Society of Southern California.
 
A group of 228 persons got together for a gourmet Chinese dinner with wine at the Golden Palace Restaurant in Los Angeles Chinatown May 14, 1977. Among the guests were:

Elne Meline, President of the Conference of California Historical Societies; Merrill Baugham, Vice-President of Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society; Claire Crain, Conference Vice-President (14B). There was a large number of people from the wine making regions of California. The guest speaker was William F. Heintz (1933-2012) of Glen Ellen (Sonoma Valley) who had the distinction of being the only professional wine and viticultural historian in the country at the time of this dinner. I do not know whether this distinction still hold true today.

Below are excerpts from the above mentioned article.

“Through diligent and persistent research, Mr. Heintz has discovered that the Chinese built many of the wineries in California, as well as working on numerous wine cellars (also known as tunnels) which entailed a great amount of blasting and excavating. These buildings and tunnels were so well buiolt that many of them are still standing and are being used.”

“Mr. Heintz states, ‘It is my conclusion that most of the wine made in California during the 19^th century was made by Chinese or with Chinese help. This is based on the simple, inescapable fact that Chinese made up 90% of the vineyard and winery help in those years. They not only pruned the vines in the spring and picked the grapes in the fall, they made or helped make the wine in the wineries in the 1880’s”

“Without reservation, Mr. Heintz feels that viticulture in California would have been set back 30 to 50 years were it not for the Chinese vineyard worker. At least two circumstances bear this fact:

For the first 40 years of grape-growing in California, it was believed that the vines should be no higher than 18 inches from the ground. Picking grpaes required continuous bending and stooping in addition o lifting 30-50 lb boxes of the fruit under a hot sun for hours at a stretch. Caucasian laborers could not work under such conditions, so it was the Chinese who did this heavy, painful work from the 1850’s to about 1890.

In the 1870’s, a vine disease called “Phylloxera” (native to our East Coast) threatened to wipe out the vineyards in California. Twenty years of experimentation finally brought forth the discovery that Eastern American grape roots, grafted with the fine European grape, was the only solution. Since most of the grapevines had been wiped out by the phylloxera, the vineyards had to be replanted. Thi was done by the Chinese laborers, who also took over the tedious work of grafting the vines, a delicate the technical undertaking. (Field grafters of vines today are among the most highly paid professions in viticulture). Mr. eintz further states, ‘The phylloxera story is one of the highlights in the history of the grape and win in this state. You can read about it in most history books. But nowhere will you find any reference to the Chinese contribution.’”

Mr. Heintz’s books include “California’s Napa Valley: One Hundred Sixty Years of Wine Making,” which was published in 1999.

He also wrote “Wine Country - A History of Napa Valley (the Early Years 1838-1920)” and “San Francisco’s Mayors 1850-1880.”

Last but not least, he published “The Chinese in California, a brief bibliographic history,”  by Gladys C. Hansen (selected by) & Heintz, William F. (annotated by) Heintz (Jan 1, 1970)

Chinese American Citizens Alliance

Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA) was founded in 1895. Its original name was Native Sons of the Golden State. Its original intent was for purposes of fellowship and mutual protection because of the hostile social environment against Chinese immigrants at that time in the United States, particularly in California.

According to Mabel Lum Lew, in 1904 her father, Walter Lum and his friends Ng Gunn and Lum Joe Gay, reactivated the Native Sons of the Golden State. By 1915, a large number of Chinese both in California and outside of California are became interested in the organization. A new charter was taken out and the name changed to CACA. Mabel says that her father was elected first Grand President.

"To empower Chinese Americans, we promote American citizenship, practice responsible patriotism, pursue the highest ethics, morals and values of the community, preserve historical and cultural traditions, and provide youth education."

The modern CACA's vision is "for every Chinese American to be a fulfilled American citizen with an equal opportunity to discover and enjoy the American way of life."

For more information on CACA, go to http://www.cacala.org/about-us.

Interrogation at Angel Island

Below is a sample interrogation of a Chinese man at the Angel Island Immigration Station.
Source: Hoobler, Dorothy and Thomas. The Chinese American Family Album. Oxford University Press: New York, 1994. pg. 44-45.

What is your name?
Leong Sem.

Has your house in China two outside doors?
Yes.

Who lives opposite the small door?
Leon Doo Wui, a farmer in the village; he lives with his wife, no one else.

Describe his wife.
Chine Shee, natural feet.

Didn't that man ever have any children?
No.

How old a man is he?
About 30.

Who lives in the first house in your row?
Leong Yik Fook, farmer in the village; he lives with his wife, no one else.

How many houses in your row?
Two.

Who lives in the first house, first row from the head?
Yik Haw, I don't know what clan he belongs to.

Why don't you know what clan he belongs to?
I never heard his family name.

Do you expect us to believe that you lived in that village if you don't know the clan names of the people living?
He never told us his family name.

How long has he lived in the village?
For a long time.

Who lives in the first house, third row?
Leong Yik Gai; he is away somewhere; he has a wife, onse son and a adaughter living in that house.

According to your testimony today there are only five houses in the village and yesterday you said there were nin.
There are nine houses.

Where are the other four?
There us Doo Chin's house, first house, sixth row.

What is the occupation of Leong Doo Chin?
He has no occupation; he has a wife, no children.

Describe his wife. Ng Shee, bound feet.

Who is another of those four families you haven't mentioned?
Leong Doo Sin.

Where is his house?
First house, fourth row.

There are two [other] families, who are they and where do they live?
Chin Yick Dun, fifth row, third house.

What is his occupation?
No occupation.

What family has he?
He has a wife and a son; his wife is Chin Shee, natural feet.

Did you ever hear of a man of the Chin family marrying a Chin family woman?
[This was forbidden by Chinese custom.] I made a mistake; her husband is Leong Yick Don.

What is the name and age of that son?
Leong Yik Gai; his house is first house, fourth row.

You have already put Leong Doo Sin in the fourth row, first house. His house is first house, third row. You have already put Leong Yick Gai first house, third row. I am mixed up.

This sample interrogation clearly shows the difficult and overly specific questions asked by the interrogators. The questions were very unrelated to actually gaining citizenship: their primary function was to limit Chinese citizenship as much as possible.

For more information, go to www.chineseamericanstories.blogspot.com/p/angel-island-immigration-station.html and Angel Island Immigration Station