HISTORY OF THE CHINESE
IN THE BOUNDARY AND WEST KOOTENAY AREA
OF B. C.
Question: Why and when did the Chinese come to the West Kootenays and Rossland?
A) “GHOST TOWNS & MINING CAMPS OF THE BOUNDARY COUNTRY” by Garnet Basque – published in 1992 by Sunfire Publications Limited, Langley BC
- placer mining along Rock Creek and its tributaries began in earnest in 1860 and attracted many prospectors from the Fraser River gold panning areas and from the States. There was a rush of miners but the claims were quickly taken and the tough working/living conditions along Rock Creek prompted many to leave for the Okanagan around Kelowna within the first two years. The rich gold discoveries of the Cariboo in 1862 further depleted the number of miners.
- In April 1866, 14 white men and 40 Chinamen are mining Rock Creek, further up Rock Creek than the previous claims. “Men who have been hired to work on the roads had decided to leave for the diggings”. By July, the Victoria Colonist reported that only 10 white men are mining there, the rest being Chinese.
- “For the next 20 years (after 1867) mining activity at Rock Creek remained sporadic with the town’s population comprised mostly of Chinese miners.”
- “During 1889 there were about six white and 20 Chinese miners recovering small wages at Rock Creek.”
- In December of 1891, a surveyor noted that Rock Creek had a population of 15 to 20 with one hotel and two stores. “The two stores mentioned were probably owned by Chinese. When the first issue of the Midway Advance made its appearance on April 26, 1894, it carried ads for the Lum Kee General Store and the Ah Kee General Store at Rock Creek. Both stores provided Chinese food and mining supplies.
- In 1896 the Ah Mat China Company, operated on 5 claims at the mouth of Rock Creek and on Rock Creek itself, made $6000. Some of the shareholders were so pleased with this result that they promptly sold their interests and went back to China. The Chinese community remained relatively substantial despite the departure of a few.
- In 1897, 160 acres at Rock Creek were reserved as a government town site, “much of the parcel had been occupied by Chinese vegetable gardens for years”.
- Edgar Dewdney in 1865 employed approximately 200 men ( ½ whites and ½ Chinese) to construct the continuation of the Dewdney Trail from Rock Creek to Wild Horse in the East Kootenays. White labour was hard to find for $75 a month and details as to where he found the workers are not known. He divided his workers into two groups and the white men worked from Fort Shepard east and the Chinese worked from Fort Shepherd west. He is reported to have said that after the work was completed, many of the Chinese stayed on the Columbia River and its tributaries to placer mine but other accounts suggest that some of the Chinese left their job early to pan for gold. According to one source, Bancroft, there were several hundred Chinese in 1865 at work on the Columbia above Fort Shepherd and all were doing well.
C) NEWSPAPER ARTICLES:- (from around the West Kootenays)
- Hot Springs News (Ainsworth) – Feb. 10, 1892 “ Not a single hotel or restaurant at Nelson now employs Chinese help. If private families would do likewise, the Chinese question, as far as Nelson is concerned, would solve itself.”
- Trail Daily Times – March 7, 1896 “ Jim, the Chinese Cook, has built a residence back of the Chinese laundry.”
- Trail Daily Times – May 9, 1896 “In Dublin Gulch, several (Chinese) have fenced in a garden spot and are busily engaged making the ground mellow. The soil is rich and the product will be relished by those too busy to sow and reap.”
- The Ledge (Nakusp and New Denver) – Dec. 10, 1896 (upon the hiring of a Chinese cook for a bachelor’s Mess Hall) “The Chinese have never been able to obtain a foothold in New Denver or the Slocan until this week.” A public meeting was held and the outcome was that the Chinese cook left town.
- Brooklyn News (Brooklyn) Aug. 27, 1898 (in response to a contractor asking if he couldn’t hire some Chinese and pay the fine) “Mr. Parker, the town site owner, has had a sign ‘No Chinese need land’ in front of the wharf since the existence of Brooklyn began and he has been commended on all sides by the stance he has taken.”
- Greenwood Weekly Times, Greenwood Ledge, Boundary Creek Times (Greenwood) – An advertisement running from June 20th to July 2nd, 1900 “Importer of the finest teas, rice, nut oil, firecrackers, silks and general groceries. Wong Dan.”
- Cascade Record – 1900 three different articles point out that there were two Chinese laundries in Cascade and a Chinese cook at the Grand Central Hotel.
- Anaconda News (Anaconda) May 14, 1902 “Mr. Desronier’s horse caused some excitement by running away and plunging into the creek near the Chinese quarters of Greenwood.”
- Anaconda News – Feb. 8, 1906 “On Monday night a Chinese celebration was held in the store in Anaconda, where from 15 – 20 Chinese live.
Rossland had a number of newspapers published in the town – “Rossland in 1898” states that, “ There are two daily and 3 weekly newspapers published in the City.” Perhaps the best know news- paper was the Rossland Miner whose first issue was published on March 2, 1895. It appeared weekly until December 1, 1896 when it became a daily as well as a weekly. The first mention of “Chinamen in Rossland,” was November 1, 1895.
N.B – The archeological study of Rossland’s Chinese Gardens done in 1995 has a lot of information from a variety of sources including personal accounts about the Chinese in the latter part of the 19th century and early 1900’s in the West Kootenay mining region. From reading these notes, it is apparent that there were extensive Chinese market gardens throughout the West Kootenay area – the ones at Kaslo and Nelson were particularly large and in operation in the late 1880’s and 1890’s and beyond.
In studying the articles gleaned from the earliest newspapers of the Boundary and West Kootenay mining camps and towns of B.C., one can say that the Chinese were living in many of those mining towns almost from their inception. (The exception seems to be the Slocan and Lardeau areas where they were not welcome.) The Chinese were considered good workers and generally worked for less money that a white person. The Chinese were strongly discouraged from working underground by local Trade and Labour Councils and in fact, in many communities, these Councils led the opposition to any kind of work employment of the Chinese. The Chinese seemed to be willing to do any kind of work and most were employed as cooks, domestic help, woodcutters and labourers. They operated Chinese laundries in all mining communities and owned and operated a few stores (starting with the first stores in Rock Creek). Chinese gardens were developed in any community in which the Chinese stayed – Rock Creek, Kaslo, Nelson, Greenwood, Trail and Rossland – they met a need in the booming mining camps where the cost of importing food was high and provided a source of income for the Chinese.
Almost all the newspaper articles spoke negatively about having Chinese in the community. Trade and Labour Councils didn’t want the Chinese because they were cheap labour and took jobs away from the white men. The Chinese didn’t assimilate. The Chinese sent their money back to China. The Chinese lived where they worked and conditions were crowded. Unclean conditions in laundries caused municipal restrictions and bylaws specific to Chinese laundries. The Chinese were associated with vice – gambling and prostitution in large cities and they were infidels. Feelings against the Chinese were strong and when government task forces came into the communities seeking input they heard from many. (The Head Tax was raised to $100 from $50 in 1901).
A) “FIRST HISTORY OF ROSSLAND, B.C. – With Sketches of its Prominent Citizens, Firms and Corporations”. Published by Stunden and Perine in Rossland with “A History of Rossland and the Trail Creek District” written by Harold Kingsmill. (No date in evidence but 1897 is suggested).
B) “ROSSLAND IN 1898” – Published for The Board of Trade of the City of Rossland by the Grip Printing and Publishing Company of Toronto, Limited in Toronto in 1898.
N.B. Both publications cover the early days of the Rossland Mining Camp, from first discoveries of gold in 1890 to the incorporation of the City in 1897 and noteworthy improvements up to the end of 1898. Both give details about the mines and their development, the railways, the smelters for the ore and the transition from prospectors’ tents to a thriving, bustling city of approximately 7,000 inhabitants. Information about prominent citizens, businesses and events is provided. There is no mention of Chinese in either publication.