Sarah Lim: Chinese immigrants after the Gold Rush

What happened to Chinese immigrants after the California Gold Rush?

While many left gold mines and settled in larger cities, some made their lives in small towns in the San Joaquin Valley. It was these Chinese settlers of the San Joaquin Valley who were closely connected with the growth and development of Merced County’s economy.

From working in the Montgomery Orchard in Snelling, peddling vegetables on the streets of Merced, and cooking for Miller and Lux’s cowboys in Los Banos, to cooking for U.S. presidents in Yosemite, building railroads for Charles Crocker and canals for Henry Miller, the Chinese-American role in Merced County history is profound.

Here is a story of the Chinese settlement in Snelling that exemplifies their resilient struggle in pursuing a life of peace and prosperity.

Snelling, situated on the north bank of the Merced River, was considered the cradle of Merced County as it was established in 1851, four years before the establishment of Merced County. It was the site of the county’s first hotel in 1851 and first courthouse in 1857. Although the winter flood of 1861-62 and the fire of 1862 left more than half of the residents homeless, Snelling was soon rebuilt with more shops and buildings. By 1870, the Merced Banner newspaper described Snelling as a happy town that “has been in an unbroken spell of gayety and pleasure, mingled with dancing, visiting, confectionery, toys, smiles ...”

Arriving in the early 1860s, Chinese immigrants were among the pioneer settlers in this happy town and a substantial number of them were miners. During the heyday of the Gold Rush, Chinese miners were driven out of the gold fields because of white miners’ hostility and discriminatory mining laws.

By the late 1850s and early 1860s, the Chinese returned to the mines and patiently worked and reworked the tailings of the previous miners. For example, Choy Ping, a Snelling resident, paid $100 for three years to lease a hillside from J. H. Foreman for his mining operation in 1864. He then pooled resources with his fellow countrymen and started a mining company called Choy Ping Co.

Chinese settlers also found that Snelling was an ideal location for farming. As with other immigrants, farming was a traditional occupation for most Chinese immigrants who often came from agrarian communities in China. After leaving the mining fields in the foothills, they found employment as farm laborers and became an indispensable army in the fields. In addition to picking berries in the Montgomery Orchard, they also harvested corn on the Dale ranch and grain for William J. Ferrel along the Merced River. Their presence in the fields was described “as thick as bees.”

Other than working for the white farmers, Chinese settlers also rented land along the Merced River to develop their own gardens. A garden refers to a much smaller farming operation in what was typically a family business for Chinese farmers since they rarely had resources for hired help.

A Snelling farmer, whose last name was Hang, came to the United States in 1860. In addition to Hang, there were three other people who worked on the farm, his two American-born sons and a servant. Both his sons eventually got married and had children. Hang was considered a successful farmer not only because he was able to hold on to his farm which was rare for Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century California, but also because he had three generations under one roof which was even rarer in a “bachelor” society.

Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century were mostly single men (married or unmarried) since Chinese women were not allowed to travel overseas and the families of Chinese immigrants were not permitted to enter the United States due to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. These barriers created what became known as the “bachelor” society. The “bachelors” who lived in Snelling’s Chinatown worked as storekeepers, clerks, cooks, barbers, tailors, and butchers within their own community.

So where was Snelling’s Chinatown located?

Pieces and bits of existing information indicate it was just west of the town and south of Lewis Street (now Highway 59). It is now a vacant lot west of the Chevron service station. During its heyday, the residents in Chinatown numbered from 300 to 1,000 with stores, gambling parlors, a joss house, and a large vegetable garden. The old-timers remembered that the Chinese built a large corncrib to store cornhusks so they could ship them out of Snelling. It must have been a good business.

By the early 20th century, Snelling’s once thriving Chinatown had disappeared; but what the Chinese had left behind was their sweat, tears and blood that have mixed into the rich soil and have become part of the Merced River.

Get ‘Gold Fever’ at the Merced Museum

In celebration of the achievements of the diverse variety of individuals who came to California during the Gold Rush, please join us for the exhibit opening of “Gold Fever! The Untold Stories of the California Gold Rush” on March 17 at 5 p.m. Merced author and educator Eugene Hart will give a PowerPoint presentation titled: “A Gold Seeker on the Merced River in 1849” at 6 p.m. Transportation grants are available for schools to bring students from fourth to 11th grades to tour the exhibit. The event is free to the public. Please call 209-723-2401 for more information about the exhibit or transportation grants.

This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 2:05 PM with the headline "Sarah Lim: Chinese immigrants after the Gold Rush."