Category: Chinese Contract System

Blogs by Kristin, Chinese Contract System, Contractor, WashingtonLeave a comment

Chun Ching Hock (1844-1927)

Kristin Wong

Chinese immigration to the West Coast began in the 1850s with the California gold rush. As gold prospects faded, Chinese labor became essential to western expansion—building railroads, working in mines and mills, and providing domestic services. Language barriers made direct hiring difficult, so employers relied on labor contractors to recruit Chinese workers. Before 1882, a small number of Chinese migrants settled in the San Juan Islands in Washington state, working as cooks, fishermen, or in local businesses. After the Chinese Exclusion Act banned immigration for ten years in 1885, many still sought work in the U.S. and entered through Canada, … Continue reading Chun Ching Hock (1844-1927)

Blogs by Kristin, Chinese Contract System, Columbia River, OregonLeave a comment

The “China House” at the Warrendale Cannery

Kristin Wong

Frank Manley Warren Sr. was a prominent figure in the salmon canning industry in the Pacific Northwest. He was born in 1848 in Ellsworth, Maine and then moved to Oregon with his family as a child. He founded the Warren Packing Company and in 1869, his first cannery was established in Cathlamet, Washington along the Columbia River. He then expanded his operations further down the Columbia River in 1876, which resulted in the naming of the town of Warrendale, Oregon in his honor. Warren was an innovator, credited with developing the idea of a retort system for canning salmon. His … Continue reading The “China House” at the Warrendale Cannery

Alaska, Blogs by Kristin, California, Chinese Contract System, history1 Comment

The California Schooner Sails to Klawock, Alaska in 1878 with 18 Chinese Laborers

Kristin Wong

With the first salmon canneries set to open in southeast Alaska in 1878, the transcontinental railroad labor contractor Sisson, Wallace, and Co. in San Francisco created a new company called the North Pacific Packing and Trading Company. They intended to transform some of the existing fish salteries in Alaska into salmon canneries. They prepared the schooner California with needed supplies and also Chinese laborers which they had plenty of from the completion of the railroad construction. This included 120 tons of equipment for a steam sawmill and cannery, 50 tons of tin, along with the first 18 Chinese laborers to … Continue reading The California Schooner Sails to Klawock, Alaska in 1878 with 18 Chinese Laborers

Alaska, Blogs by Kristin, Chinese Contract System, history, San FranciscoLeave a comment

Alaskan Salmon Canneries Open in 1878

Kristin Wong

The Alaskan territory was purchased by the United States from Russia on October 18, 1867 for a mere $7.2 million. Many were starting to discover the abundant natural resources that were there. Before the very first salmon canneries opened in Southeast Alaska in 1878, there were already a few cod and salmon salteries in Klawock, located on the west coast of Prince of Whales Island. In 1869, one was operated by George Hamilton and was called Hamilton’s Fishery, where they caught and brined the fish in salt which were then packed into barrels and sold. They also produced cod oil … Continue reading Alaskan Salmon Canneries Open in 1878

Alaska, Blogs by Kristin, Chinese Contract System, Contractor, history, San FranciscoLeave a comment

The Chinese Labor Contact System- Similarities between Salmon Canneries and the Transcontinental Railroad

Kristin Wong

While researching information on salmon canneries in the Columbia River in Oregon, I came across some interesting information regarding Sisson, Wallace & Co. based out of San Francisco, California. They were an agency specializing in supplying the railroad companies in Northern California and Nevada not only with construction material, but also for procuring Chinese labor for the transcontinental railroad. They also were responsible for providing the Chinese workers with food and clothing along with room and board. Now, how is this related to the salmon canning industry in Alaska you may ask? The company called Sisson, Wallace, and Co. was … Continue reading The Chinese Labor Contact System- Similarities between Salmon Canneries and the Transcontinental Railroad

Blogs by Kristin, Chinese Contract SystemLeave a comment

Seid Chee

Kristin Wong

Anacortes on Fidalgo Island in Washington state had a rapidly growing canning industry that started in 1893 and then the last cannery closed there in 1999. Both salmon and cod were processed in the canneries on the island.  At the peak of the industry, there were 11 canneries there. Seid Chee was a Chinese labor contractor and hired laborers to work in the salmon canneries in Anacortes in the early 1900s. He also supervised them as well. There are records that at one point, he did live in Portland, Oregon. It is very interesting to see an actual Chinese labor … Continue reading Seid Chee

Alaska, Blogs by Philip, Chinese Contract System, history, San FranciscoLeave a comment

The Price of Salmon

Philip Chiao

I hope you will judge this book by its cover and content. Jim and l are publishing “The Price of Salmon” this summer. We designed the book cover ourselves. However, our principal roles are editors. We compiled, in digital and book format, a series of newspaper articles that were first published on the San Francisco Daily 100 years ago. The writer was Max Stern, a reporter best known for his exposé of the Alaskan salmon canning industry. The original articles are available online only in facsimiles that are difficult to read and almost impossible to enjoy. The articles are valuable … Continue reading The Price of Salmon