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

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 Jim, Webinar/TalkLeave a comment

A Virtual Talk on The Price of Salmon

jimchiao

This last weekend, on June 17th, 2023, we participated in a virtual talk on the book The Price of Salmon. The event was organized by Chinese Historical Society of America in San Francisco. We were all excited about this event since San Francisco was the center of the salmon canning trade in the late 19th century and early 20th century. It was the financial center on the West Coast, home of many salmon canning companies such as Alaska Packers Association, Italian and Scandinavian fishermen, Chinese contractors and workers, as well as workers of many other colors and nationalities. It was … Continue reading A Virtual Talk on The Price of Salmon

Alaska, Blogs by PhilipLeave a comment

Coolies & Retorts

Philip Chiao

 I am very familiar with this steam cooking machine or retort in the picture. It is made of steel, cylindrical in form, about 4′ in diameter and 10′-12′ in length. It looks like a locomotive, and on the ground there is actually a section of steel railroad for use by dolleys. In 1972, my job was to stack trays of the canned salmon onto a dolley, and then the dolley was pushed into the retort for cooking. I remember very clearly that the foreman told me that my position that summer was that of a coolie. Many Chinese foreign students … Continue reading Coolies & Retorts

Alaska, Blogs by Kristin, British Columbia, history, Oregon, WashingtonLeave a comment

Cannery Bunkhouses

Kristin

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

Alaska, Blogs by JimLeave a comment

Workers & Machines

jimchiao

In the Bay Area, we are surrounded by hi-tech companies, and we are all familiar with hi tech products from the third industrial revolution such as computer, iPhone, Internet, social network,… More than a hundred years ago, Chinese workers in the United States also experienced the second industrial revolution. From 1880s to 1910s, the influence of Chinese in the salmon canning industry reached its peak when more than 50% of the low level cannery jobs on the production line were occupied by the Chinese. This period of time happens to be the age of the second industrial revolution in America. … Continue reading Workers & Machines

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

Blogs by PhilipLeave a comment

Chinese Contractors

Philip Chiao

We just released Ah King’s story on our website this month. Under the sub-category of Contractors, you will now find three new independent pages we added recently for Ah King, Chin Gee Hee, and Gong Dip. It happens that they all were successful Chinese merchants and probably knew each other working in Seattle at the turn of the twentith century. These stories of Chinese contractors from the northwest will greatly complement and argument the other stories of Chinese contractors and workers in California that we have compiled. In addition, there is a new page on Chinese Contractors under the tab of Canning … Continue reading Chinese Contractors

Alaska, Blogs by KristinLeave a comment

Li Gongpu

Kristin

Li Gongpu (or Gongbu) was an intellectual and writer and became a well-known Chinese social activist and was one of the founders of the Chinese Democratic League and also served in the National Revolutionary Army. After serving, he came to the US to attend Portland’s Reed College in 1927 to study Political Science. During this time, he was still contributing articles to a magazine in Shanghai related to his American experiences and Western democratic systems when he decided to work in an Alaskan salmon cannery in the summer of 1928. He described his experiences at the Union Bay cannery, which … Continue reading Li Gongpu

Blogs by Jim, Columbia River, ContractorLeave a comment

Lee Mee Gin’s story

jimchiao

After publishing of the book “The Price of Salmon” in the summer of 2022, I received a message from Debbie Jiang who read about the news. In her email, she told me of a Portland Chinese contractor by the name of Lee Mee Gin. Debbie wrote: “I accidentally discovered the cannery middleman when I was researching my cousin’s father-in-law. Have you heard of Mr. Lee Mee Gin?  He owned and operated Kwong Lun Tai, a dry goods store, among other things.  He also was a contractor for Chinese workers heading to the canneries in Alaska. Mr. Lee was Portland’s Chinatown’s mayor and … Continue reading Lee Mee Gin’s story