Collection: Books and Periodicals > Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins

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Title: Volume 062-4 - October 2008 Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Collection Name: Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins # of Pages: 6 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2014-03-19 08:11:06 OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 04:06:03 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 04:06:03

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

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The Nevada City Chinese Quarter 1860-1900 by Wallace R. Hagaman RIOR TO 1851 THE NUMBERS OF CHINESE IN CALIFORNIA were few. Their mining activities were characterized by individual endeavors. After about 1852 their numbers increased and they began to gather together in “Chinese Camps.” These were generally located along the banks of streams on sites already worked over by non-Chinese miners. As the Chinese population increased the demands for Chinese goods also rose and Chinese merchants began selling goods to meet the ethnic needs of these miners, in the same way as non-Chinese merchants began supplying the rest of the population. In the early 1860s a distinct Chinese Quarter existed in Nevada City. By 1863 the Chinese were the principle claim holders on the rivers and streams of California. Newspaper accounts reported events pertaining to the Chinese along both sides of Commercial Street between North Pine and upper Broad Streets, as well as along the north side of Broad Street above what is now York Street. This area continued to be primarily Chinese until the fire of 1880. On April 15, 1881 Nevada City passed an ordinance directing that “all Chinese shall be removed from Nevada City ex Within sixty days.” “New Chinatown” was built near what is now Washington and Uren Streets. Attorneys from The Chinese Six Companies in San Francisco argued against the Nevada City ordinance, as well as similar ordinances in other cities throughout California. Nevada City found its anti-Chinese ordinances difficult to enforce. In 1881, following a fire in New Chinatown, some of the Chinese began to return to the Chinese Quarter along both sides of Commercial Street above North Pine. They rented buildings from non-Chinese, many of whom had replaced the burned wooden structures with brick ones following the fire ‘ of 1880. A few of those brick buildings, located on Commercial Street between North Pine and York Streets, are all that remain of the Chinese Quarter today. New Chinatown continued (— ~ Nevada Gounty Historical Society Bulletin VOLUME 62 NUMBER 4 OCTOBER 2008 to exist, but not much is known of it, as the stories and events covered in public records occurred mainly along Commercial Street above North Pine. The Chinese Quarter met the special needs of the Chinese gold miners. Chinese foods, medicines, religious goods, and clothing, not supplied by conventional stores, were provided by the Chinese merchants. Brothels, gambling halls, and opium houses provided relaxation and recreation. General stores provided a place to socialize, pick up mail and messages and often as a place to find jobs. The Chinese Temple was available for spiritual practices. Chinese doctors or herbalists were sometimes available as well. The Chinese Quarter met needs of the Chinese in exactly the same way as the merchants of the rest of Nevada City met the needs of the non-Chinese. The Chinese Quarter came about because of the language barrier and the unique cultural needs of the Chinese. The majority of the Chinese counted by the census as living in Nevada County did not live in the Chinese Quarter, but lived in camps along the streams where they worked their claims. Hundreds of Chinese also worked for the hydraulic mines between Nevada City and North San Juan and at North Bloomfield. There were Chinatowns of various sizes in many Ah Gin (right) was eS S born in China and arrived in California in 1873. He was a respected businessman and prominent citizen of Nevada City. The building at 311 Commercial street had been leased to the Chinese as a business, and later as a residence. Ah Gin lived there and bought the building in 1913 from the estate of the previous owner. (Author s photograph.) ocak, o2, outton 1