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Collection: Directories and Documents > Pamphlets
An Illustrated History of California's Gold Rush by Wells Fargo Bank (PH 1-27) (34 pages)
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Page: of 34
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CHINESE CAMP A part of the colorful history of
San Francisco which has intrigued the imagination
of many are the Chinese tong wars—bloody conflicts
between rival family-clans. But the first tong wars in
California took place in the Gold Country — the first
one in Weaverville, and the second in Chinese Camp.
The Chinese Camp affair started very innocently. A
boulder rolled from the diggings of one group of
Chinese miners into the claim of another group.
Words were exchanged, and then blows. As a result
of the incident both sides felt they had lost face,
and called in help from their respective tongs. The
tong relatives responded by amassing armaments
and reinforcements. The weapons were mostly crude
things made by local blacksmiths — spears and axes
and daggers. They also procured a few firearms, but
the Chinese didn’t know how to use them so they
hired Yankee “Military Advisers” to help them with
their local conflict. Times haven't really changed so
much in the last century. The Yan Wo Tong members numbered 900, the Sam Yap Tong, 200. They
met on October 25, 1856 at Crimea Flat, three miles
from Chinese Camp. For all their formidable weapons and ferocious threats, the tongs lost only four
killed and four wounded, but 250 were taken into
custody by American authorities for disturbing the
peace. It took more to disturb the peace in those days.
JACKSONVILLE After leaving Chinese Camp you
will pass through Jacksonville, a quiet little village
now, but one which once was a major center of the
Southern Mines. It was named for Colonel Alden
Jackson, a ‘49’er who discovered gold here. Jackson was also named for him. Shortly after passing
through Jacksonville on Highway 49 you come to
a junction with Highway 120 which will take you to
Big Oak Flat, Groveland and Second Garrote.
BIG OAK FLAT James D. Savage, who discovered
Yosemite Park by accident while pursuing a band
of hostile Indians, also discovered Big Oak Flat and
named it for the enormous tree which grew there.
The flat was rich in gold, and the big oak tree was
eventually so undermined by eager miners that
it toppled in 1869 and burned in a forest fire 42 years
later. A remaining portion is contained in a monument on the original site.
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