About two month ago, one morning, one of my tennis friends said to me “I saw an article about your coming presentation on the newspaper today.” The next day, he brought me a clipping of the article from SF Chronicle. It was the first time I read the article, but it was only recently that I found it online.

Carl Nolte, a renowned writer of a weekly column, Native Son, for SF Chronicle, contacted us in mid-March about the story of Chinese laborers from San Francisco. It was published on March 20th, just a week before our free MESS lecture sponsored by SF Maritime Research Center Library of the SF Maritime National Historical Park.

Whereas our talk was more general on the topic of Chinese Cannery Workers in the salmon canning industry. Carl’s article was more specific, he focused on the relationship of San Francisco to the canning industry. Even though the canneries were thousands of miles away in Alaska, San Francisco was a major center of the industry: it was the home of the largest canner Alaska Packers Association(APA) and its majestic Star Fleet, the home to many Italian and Scandinavian fishermen, m of course, the home to thousands of Chinese laborers. Of all the people who were involved in the canning business, it is the Chinese cannery crew who was somewhat mysterious and often forgotten.

Here is the link to his wonderful piece, titled “A Tribute to Chinese Laborers from SF who worked in Alaska Canneries”:

https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/A-tribute-to-the-Chinese-laborers-from-S-F-who-16040385.php