Chinese Camp by Zina Abbott

For the next two months, my writing takes me back to Tuolumne County in the Mother Lode foothills of California. Although my next book it set in Sonora, California, today’s post is about a town that in the 1850s through the 1880s, attracted a large population, including many Chinese. It was because of the Chinese that it became known as Chinese Camp.

Here is the wording of the historical marker for Chinese Camp:

Mark Twain Bret Harte Trail
Chinese Camp

Reportedly founded about 1849 by group of Englishmen who employed Chinese as miners. Much surface gold found on hills and flats. Headquarters for stage lines in early 1850's, and for several California Chinese mining companies. First Chinese tong war in state fought near here between Sam Yap and Yan Woo tongs. Present stone and brick post office built 1854, still standing. St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church built in 1855, restored 1949. First pastor, Father Henry Aleric.

Historical Landmark No. 423

Tablet placed by California Centennials Commission
Base provided by Tuolumne County Council No. 2165, Knights of Columbus
Dedicated June 18, 1949

With only about 146 inhabitants counted on the 2000 U.S. Census, Chinese Camp is now mostly a ghost town. It is best known for its Tong war, which took place on September 26, 1856, in the meadow opposite Crimea House at the junction of the Mound Springs Road with the modern road to La Grange. 

It is reputed to have involved possibly over 2,000 Chinese fighting for rival tongs (Chinese societies), the  Sam Yap and Yan Woo tongs. The dispute arose between two companies of Chinese who were mining at Two Mile Bar on the Stanislaus River; one company having rolled a boulder onto the claim of the other company and refused to move it. Very few men were involved at the outset but it ended with over a thousand. One account says 1200 on one side and 900 on the other. The battle ended when four men were killed. At that point, one of the tongs retreated.

The town was first known as Camp Washington or “WashingtonVille.” When a nearby Camp called Camp Salvado forced the Chinese miners out, many of them ended up settling in Camp Washington, which was over the mountain down the road. As the Chinese were driven out of surrounding mining camps, they gradually congregated at Camp Washington. It was soon known as Chinese Camp.

In spite of being known for its large Chinese population, Chinese Camp was equally the home of Americans and European immigrants. At one time, the town boasted a population of about 5,000 people—mostly men, and probably more Chinese than those of European descent. The Chinese lived along Main Street to the west. The Americans and others lived to the east. The buildings in the Chinese section are now gone. The buildings that remain are mostly the ruins of the Caucasian section of town.

The two groups did interact, since each group had goods and services sought by the other. For one thing, at one time there were seven herbal Chinese doctors. Several Chinese also grew produce, which they sold throughout the town. The Chinese bought American goods brought in my freight wagons.

The Chinese made industrious residents of the settlement, kept to themselves, and took care of their own indigent—if any. The white merchants appreciated them as customers, for, although frugal, they were scrupulously honest.

As Chinese Camp grew and gathered the trade of outlying mining communities and ranches, roads became of paramount importance—wagon roads to replace pack trails. By 1853 conditions had improved to the extent that stages now passed between Chinese Camp and Sonora every two or three hours.

Washington Street, which reflects the town’s original name, was the first prominent street. However, businesses and many residences built along Main Street, which may be reached from Highway 120.

 

 

 The post office building, made of stone with a brick front, is still in good repair. The heavy iron shutters are old and are the authentic insignia of the early mining town where the threat and the fear of fire was always present, especially during the dry season. It was at one time the Thomas McAdam’s store.

The following is a marker attached to the front of the old Post Office building:

To honor Eddie Webb

Born December 17, 1880, in Snelling, Calif. One of the last of the stage drivers, Eddie made the haul from Chinese to the Coulterville, Groveland areas between 1898-1902 and drove the first mail stage over the “new” Shawmut Road.

Dedicated by Matica Chapter , No. 1849

E Clampus Vitus – May 6. 1961

 

Nearly opposite the post office is a lonely stone wall which marks the property of the early Wells, Fargo & Company’s office run by Solinsky and Sol Miller. It was in operation as early as 1857. East of the remaining wall of the Wells, Fargo & Company’s Building is the tiny passageway known as Solinsky Alley, connecting Main Street with Washington.

 

One building that dates back to 1855 (another source claims 1854) is the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. The building was restored in 1949. Near the building are several headstones that serve as witnesses that a large Italian population had lived nearby.

An 1860 diary claimed that Chinese Camp was the metropolis for the mining district, with many urban comforts.

The placer gold seemed to last longer in Chinese Camp than it did in surrounding areas. The active years for the town were from the 1850s through 1870. An 1899 mining bulletin listed the total gold production of the area as near 2.5 million dollars.

As the gold ran out and people moved elsewhere to earn a living, the town gradually diminished in size. With the development of roads and stagecoach service, many began to travel to Jamestown and Sonora for a greater selection of goods and services. A terrible fire in the 1890s sounded the death knell for Chinese Camp. By then, the town population was severally depleted.  Except for some ranching operations surrounding the community, the prospects for the future were limited. Most people moved away rather than rebuild.

You may find more details on Chinese Camp by clicking HERE.

 

My next book, which will be released on September 18, 2023, is titled A Watchman for Willow, part of the Mail Order Papa series. Set in Sonora, it features the Tuolumne County seat and the only incorporated city in Tuolumne County. 

To find the book description and pre-order link, 

please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

Sources:

https://noehill.com/tuolumne/cal0423.asp

http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/big_oak_flat_road/chinese_camp.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Camp,_California#

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinese_Camp,_a_small_settlement_in_Tuolumne_County,_California_LCCN2013634027.tif

https://www.visittuolumne.com/The-History-of-Chinese-Camp-Brochure.pdf