Category: Washington

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 Philip, WashingtonLeave a comment

Wing Luke Museum

Philip Chiao

It must be a twin brothers’ magical connection, I and James, without coordination, booked our trips to Seattle independently, only to find out we were to be there the same week and our schedule overlapped for a few days. We took advantage of the shared time to visit our alma mater, University of Washington together, and had dinner with our niece and her husband, both are currently working at the University Hospital in the last leg of their medical fellowship program. Due to schedule conflict, I and James visited the Luke Museum separately. I and my wife went on a … Continue reading Wing Luke Museum

Blogs by Jim, WashingtonLeave a comment

My Trip to Seattle, Nov. 2024

jimchiao

Wa left Union Station in Portland early in the morning, and arrived at King St. Station in Seattle some three and half hours later. We stepped out of the station, and arrived at a city that was so familiar and yet strange to me. It was familiar because I spent four years at University of Washington in Seattle from 1969 to 1973. It was strange because the city landscape has changed so much over the past 50+ years. Before the 3-day trip, I have set a goal to visit the following three places in Seattle: 1. University of Washington, 2. … Continue reading My Trip to Seattle, Nov. 2024

Alaska, Blogs by Kristin, British Columbia, history, Oregon, Washington1 Comment

Cannery Bunkhouses

Kristin Wong

Chinese laborers that were hired to work in the salmon canneries beginning in the late 1800s had separate living quarters assigned to them at the canneries. This was similar at canneries from Alaska to the Pacific Northwest to even British Columbia, Canada. Depending on the cannery, sometimes these areas were called “Chinatown” because of the large number of Chinese workers. This segregation was likely due to various factors. First, the assigned jobs and wages earned was specified in the Alaska Packers Association’s contract which was broken down based on ethnicities (e.g. Caucasians, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and Alaskan Natives). This hierarchy … Continue reading Cannery Bunkhouses

Blogs by Jim, WashingtonLeave a comment

Ah Fat – The Last Chinaman

jimchiao

I first came across a story about Ah Fat over two years ago. An article with the headline “The Last Chinaman” grabbed my attention, and it was a story of the a Chinese cannery worker in Point Roberts at the turn of the 20th century. It was quite rare to find a story about a Chinese cannery worker, with name and photo, depicting his life through the era of anti-Chinese movements. This photo, taken between 1911 and 1913, is the only photo that shows Ah Fat sitting in front of his house at Point Roberts, Whatcom County, Washington, and he … Continue reading Ah Fat – The Last Chinaman

Alaska, Blogs by Jim, history, WashingtonLeave a comment

The Iron Chink

jimchiao

Here is a photo of the Iron Chink machine on display at Seattle’s Expo in 1909. The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition was a world fair held in Seattle to publicize the development of the Pacific Northwest. Since salmon canning was a major industry in Pacific Northwest at the turn of the 20th century, it made a lot of sense for the Iron Chink, a fish cleaner, to be displayed in the fair. Edmund Smith invented the machine in 1903, which he named Iron Chink. By 1909, the machine was gaining acceptance by the canners and Smith was becoming wealthy. The participation in … Continue reading The Iron Chink

Blogs by Jim, WashingtonLeave a comment

Boat Races in Lower Puget Sound

jimchiao

The canning industry developed in the Columbia River in the 1870s, and soon spread north to Puget Sound. What was it like working in the first Puget Sound cannery? Boat racing? Can you imagine evening boat races between Chinese and native Americans? You have to read the Mukilteo cannery story and the apparent tradition of boat racing between Chinese and the native American crews: In his report, Herbert Hunt wrote about Mukilteo Cannery and its workers: “Jackson, Myers & Company operated one of these plants at Rainier, on the Oregon side, and when the 1877 season opened, had made preparations … Continue reading Boat Races in Lower Puget Sound

Blogs by Jim, Newspaper article, Personal Stories, WashingtonLeave a comment

The Last Chinaman

jimchiao

I just happened to run across this article during my Internet research of Chinese in salmon canning industry. The headline “The Last Chinaman” grabbed my attention, and it is a story of the a Chinese cannery worker in Point Roberts at the turn of the 20th century. It is quite rare to find a story about a Chinese cannery worker, with name and photo, depicting his life through the era of anti-Chinese movements. This photo from 1898 shows the salmon cannery where he worked, when the story took place. It turns out Point Roberts is situated at a very interesting … Continue reading The Last Chinaman

Alaska, Blogs by Jim, Washington1 Comment

Almost 50 years ago…

jimchiao

It was in early June 1970, that we had this photo taken at International Longshoremen and Warehousemen’s Union (ILWU) Local 37 in Seattle, Washington. From left, we have Michael, Philip, Jim, Allen, and Willie. It was a day of dispatching, and we were there awaiting eagerly for an opportunity to find employment in Alaska canneries. We were all college students and foreign students from Taiwan, in our late teens. My twin brother, Philip, and I, were freshmen from University of Washington. Michael and Allen are also brothers and college students, whom we had known for several years from our days … Continue reading Almost 50 years ago…