About

Our History

This site is a creation of me and my twin brother Philip. Philip is a retired architect and I am a retired electrical engineer. I have spent the better part of my life working in various high tech companies in the Silicon Valley. After my retirement in 2007, I have served on the board and as co-president for a non-profit organization Friends of Children with Special Needs. In my spare time, I started studying the history of the salmon canning industry. It was a huge surprise to find out that there is a long history of Chinese/Chinese American involvement in this industry starting from the 1870s; however, very few people are aware of this fact and there is only limited publication on this topic.

A few years later, I called my brother and asked him if he’d be interested in a project to bring awareness to this forgotten part of Chinese American history in the West Coast. He gladly accepted, and we embarked on the journey of discovery and this website is the result of our work since 2020.

In April 2021, we invited Kristin Wong to join our team. Kristin spent six seasons in Alitak cannery, Alaska in the 1990s. She is a fourth generation Chinese American, and comes from a “cannery worker’s family”. Her grandfather was a contractor. Her dad, Fred Wong, worked 54 summers in Alaska, mostly as a foreman. Her two sisters also had many years of cannery experience. We are really excited to have her as part of the team.

Contact information:

Jim Chiao jim_chiao@yahoo.com