| |
BRIEF HISTORY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO'S CHINESE
They Came for a Better Life
In 1850, all eyes turned to California. The discovery of gold enticed men from all over the world to this place which held dreams of a better life. During the same period (1850-1864), the Taiping Rebellion was creating hardships in China. When the attraction of prosperity in a new land is combined with political unrest at home, people are attracted to change.
Merchants living along the southern coast of China (Guang Dong Province) had centuries of experience in the seafaring trade between China and other coastal nations. For these people, the trip to the New World was not as daunting as it would have been for most. Combine this with a favorable current flowing around the north Pacific from China to the California coast and travel to Gum San (Gold Mountain) becomes an easy step to take. People from all levels of society made the passage, including merchants, doctors, and laborers.
Beyond the Gold
By 1852, 20,000 Chinese had arrived in San Francisco and make up 1/3 of all the immigrants to California. Statewide, one in ten people are Chinese and in some mining counties the ratio was three in ten. Along with everyone else, the Chinese pioneers discovered that the gold rush was more hype than reality. They quickly adapted by starting up businesses and performed services in the communities where they settled. Located half-way between San Francisco and Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo (SLO) became a focal point for the Central California Chinese community.
A large portion of Chinese pioneers established residence along the California Coast and began the business of gathering, drying, and exporting seafood resources back to China. In the 1870's California's largest export was dried seafood bound for Hong Kong. Other Chinese pioneers began vegetable gardens and became the main purveyors of fresh vegetables in the county. There were stores, laundries, restaurants, and labor-contracting businesses owned and operated by the new pioneers. In addition to the single men, families such as the Wong,
Chong, and Ginn families settled SLO.
In 1867 the Pacific Mail Steamship Company began regularly scheduled runs between Hong Kong and San Francisco. Between 1870 and 1883 an average of 12,000 Chinese were arriving in San Francisco each year.
By 1872, a one-block area of SLO was being called "Chinatown" in the papers and on local maps.
Wong On (later nicknamed Ah Louis) established a store on that block in SLO in 1874 and in 1875 began taking out newspaper ads advertising his store and labor contracting business. His store is still run by his son and sits at the corner of Chorro and Palm Streets. Chinese businessmen like Ah Louis saw the need for a labor force to assist in the construction of public works projects. He also saw the need to assist his fellow countrymen in their passage to the New World. It became common practice for a Chinese pioneer's passage to be sponsored by a businessman such as Ah Louis. This fee would then be repaid by the new immigrant through a labor arrangement with the business. Thus, many of the new pioneers were involved in building California's infrastructure (roads, bridges, mining, railroads, etc.).
For many years, California truly was a land of promise and a place where a hard working pioneer from China could earn a better life. The Chinese population was responsible for California's greatest exports (dried seafood, valued at $0.5 to $5 Million annually) and its greatest imports (rice, tea, and opium valued at $2 to $3 million annually). This prompted the signing of the Burlingame Treaty in 1868, opening up immigration between China and the US.
Unfortunately, 1868 was also a year which began a flood of unemployed Caucasian immigrants into California and later, the 1873 US depression forced even more unemployed into the state.
Discrimination
As early as 1850, Chinese miners competing with Caucasian miners prompted the passage of a "Foreign Miners License Law" which was aimed at limiting and discouraging Chinese miners.
But serious discrimination leveled at California's Chinese community began when the growing unemployed Caucasian population began looking for a scapegoat to blame the 1873 recession on. The Caucasians saw the Chinese Californians as having a "strange" culture, language, and habits. The Caucasians were also jealous that most Chinese Californians were employed. An 1870 editorial in the SLO newspaper stated "We (Republicans) differ from the Democrats in that the less Chinese the better."
In 1873, both Republican and Democratic parties adopted resolutions against the Burlingame Treaty of open immigration between China and the US.
In 1877 a new political party was established (The Workingman's Party) with but one slogan; "The Chinese must go". Although it only lasted 5 years (till the depression was over), it had a major impact on the politics of Chinese discrimination. That same year saw a major 2-day riot between Chinese and Caucasians in San Francisco's Chinatown
In 1879, during a special statewide election, all but 5 San Luis Obispo County voters opposed continued immigration from China. That same year a San Luis Obispo Chinese man was taken from his home and shot. No one was found guilty of the crime. In 1880, the San Luis Obispo City Council passed a motion to remove the Chinese laundries from the city limits.
1882 sees the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act (United State's first immigration law) which denied the Chinese the right to US citizenship and cut off all immigration except for merchants, educators, diplomats, and students. Just a few months before the law took effect, a record 39,579 Chinese immigrated to the US. The Exclusion Act remained in effect until 1943.
In 1886, the Caucasian population of Arroyo Grande forced the Chinese out of their town by threatening to hang anyone who didn't board the railroad boxcars and leave the area.
In 1888, the Scott Act is passed preventing any Chinese who return to China from coming back to the US.
The Geary Act, an 1892 outgrowth of the Chinese Exclusion Act, required all Chinese people who were legally in the US to obtain Certificates of Residence. In 1894,
San Luis Obispo's Chinese population began the registration process.
One must admire the tenacity of families like the Chongs, Ginns, and Wongs. These families managed not only to survive, but also to prosper in the face of such discrimination.
Today
The late 1800's campaign of discrimination against the Chinese took its toll. From
10% of the population in the 1870's, people of Chinese ancestry make up only 2.5% of the US population today. In addition, the discrimination left a huge hole in California's history. No one knows that the first brick kiln in San Luis Obispo County was established by Ah Louis. Few know about the Chinese creation of California's import and export economy or the many accomplishments, which set the infrastructure foundation for California's later prosperity.
Today, San Luis Obispo has a very active Chinese Business Community as well as a strong Asian student's organization on the Cal Poly Campus. Although most of the Chinese community is represented by people who have immigrated to the US after WWII, there are still members of those original
Ginn, Wong, and Chong families living and prospering in San Luis Obispo.
San Luis Obispo Chinatown Project
Background
In 1987, an archaeological excavation took place in downtown San Luis Obispo, California. The excavation was part of the construction of a new downtown parking garage which was located in the heart of the old 1870's Chinatown. The excavation uncovered features and artifacts from both the Mission
(1820's) and Chinese (1870's) periods. Approximately 5 tons of artifacts were recovered.
The Project
In 1997, the City enlisted the help of archaeologist Dr. John Parker and a decision was made to allow the public to have a major hand in sorting and cataloging the collection.
Parker & Associates Archaeological Research took on this project primarily because Dr. John Parker saw it as a way of increasing public awareness in local
history and archaeology. Dr. Parker had spent 20 years conducting volunteer public awareness and interpretation programs in archaeology, mostly for the State Park System.
A Public/Private Partnership
The City of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly, and Archaeological Research formed a partnership to undertake the Chinatown Archaeological Research Project. The San Luis Obispo County Archaeological Society and the City's Cultural Heritage Commission helped get the project off the ground.
Cal Poly provided a lab facility during the first few years and the City
provided funds for startup, coordination, and final analysis costs. Parker & Associates
Archaeological Research provided training and technical specialists to run the project. But the most important part of the partnership
were the volunteers.
Between 1997 and 2007 about 250 volunteers worked on the project. On the average 300 volunteer hours a month
were devoted to sorting, piecing together, and studying the tons of artifacts.
Although the volunteers come from all backgrounds and interests, the one thing that
seemed to bind them all together is a keen interest in local history and a fascination
with archaeology.
Technical Directors
The technical direction and final analysis is being driven by 5 experts:
Roberta Greenwood (Pacific Palisades) is a specialist in Chinese archaeological materials.
Betsy Bertrando (San Luis Obispo) is a specialist in historical background research.
Sherri Gust (Pasadena) is a specialist in studying archaeological bone remains. She is being assisted by Ken Gobalet at Cal State Bakersfield.
Dr. Robert Hoover (San Luis Obispo) is a specialist in Mission period archaeology.
Dr. John Parker (Lucerne) is a specialist in prehistoric archaeology and serves as the project coordinator.
Conclusion
In addition to breaking new ground in the area of public participation, this archaeology project is filling in the many blank pages in San Luis Obispo's history. Due to prejudice and bigotry in the late 1800's, the many civic and economic accomplishments of the Chinese community were completely left out of local and regional history books. Finally, 100 years later, these accomplishments are coming to light and being appreciated.
|
