Asian American Comparative Collection:
Significance of Asians and Asian Americans in Idaho History
Asian American Comparative Collection (AACC)
University of Idaho
875 Perimeter Drive, MS 1111
Moscow, Idaho 83844-1111 USA
208-885-7075
|
Priscilla Wegars, Ph.D., Volunteer Curator
pwegars@uidaho.edu
Renae Campbell, M.A., RPA, Research Associate
rjcampbell@uidaho.edu |
Significance of Asians and Asian Americans in Idaho History
Gold discoveries in Idaho
beginning in 1860 attracted numerous Chinese, mostly men, as
miners or as providers of support services such as laundries,
restaurants, and stores. In later years, many worked on the
railroads, either in the initial construction or on later track
maintenance. Still others were doctors, interpreters, hotel
keepers, or gardeners. By 1870 Idaho Territory had some 4,000
Chinese residents, about 28.5% of the total population. People of
Japanese ancestry began coming to Idaho by the 1890s. They worked
mainly on the railroads and in agriculture, although some ran
restaurants and laundries. A ten-year-old Filipino boy
attended public school in Boise in 1902. Census records provide
additional information about Idaho's residents of Asian ancestry.
On the national level, anti-Chinese feelings culminated in the
1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. It prohibited any new Chinese laborers
from arriving. This and other racist laws, not repealed until
1943, meant that all immigrant Chinese, as well as people from
other Asian and Southeast Asian countries, were forbidden from
becoming U.S. citizens, no matter how long they had lived here,
how well they spoke English, or how "Americanized" they had
become. Even the Chinese pioneer woman, Polly Bemis, married to a
Euroamerican man, Charlie Bemis, could not become a U.S. citizen.
Male Chinese laborers who entered before 1882 generally could not
bring their families over after that date. They became known as a
"bachelor society," but of course most were not bachelors at all.
Once the gold played out in Idaho, they moved to larger towns to
work, or returned to China if they could afford to do so; sadly,
however, many died here without ever seeing their families again.
Once Chinese immigrant numbers had dwindled enough that they no
longer were an economic threat to Euroamerican workers, they
attracted less and less anti-Chinese sentiment. Some remained in
local communities into the 1920s and 1930s, and longer in cities
such as Boise and Lewiston. One man, Jung Chew, whom the
Euroamericans called "Ah Sam," was even known as the "honorary
mayor of Warren."
Today, many traces of Idaho's Asian
pioneers still remain. Documentary accounts, particularly mining
records, deeds to property, and vital statistics; and city maps
showing "China Town" or buildings labeled "Japanese";
archaeological remains, including mining ditches, dugout-type
dwellings, and scattered Chinese artifacts; and cultural
manifestations, particularly Chinese restaurants, place names such
as "China Gardens," and gravestones in Chinese or Japanese, attest
to their importance and influence. Present-day Asian Americans
surnamed "Eng," "Fong," "Ikeda," and "Lee," some of whom are
lineal descendants of Idaho's earliest Asian residents, remind us
that Asian names were in the census records from 1870 on, along
with the Staintons, Vollmers, and Weisgerbers. Such evidence
heightens our awareness of the significant contributions made by
Asian and Asian American people to both the economic development
and the cultural heritage of Idaho for well over 150 years.
Return to AACC
July 2021/signif.htm/pwegars@uidaho.edu