The Coming Man from Canton: Chinese Experience in Montana, 1862-1943

287 Pages·2017·1.268 MB·English

by  Chris W Merritt

The Coming Man from Canton
Historical Archaeology
of the American West
Series Editors
Annalies Corbin
Rebecca Allen
The Coming Man from Canton
Chinese Experience in Montana,
1862– 1943
Christopher W. Merritt
University of Nebraska Press
and the
Society for Historical Archaeology
© 2017 by the Society for Historical Archaeology
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Merritt, Chris W., author.
Title: The coming man from Canton: Chinese experience
in Montana, 1862– 1943 / Christopher W. Merritt.
Other titles: Chinese experience in Montana, 1862– 1943
Description: Lincoln ne: University of Nebraska Press
and the Society for Historical Archaeology, [2017] |
Series: Historical archaeology of the American West |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: lccn 2016050487 (print)
lccn 2016051305 (ebook)
isbn 9780803299788 (cloth: alk. paper)
isbn 9781496201201 (epub)
isbn 9781496201218 (mobi)
isbn 9781496201225 (pdf)
Subjects: lcsh: Chinese— Montana— History. |
Chinese— Montana— Social conditions. | Chinese—
Montana— Economic conditions. | Miners—
Montana— History. | Railroad construction
workers— Montana— History. | Foreign workers,
Chinese— Montana— History. | Chinese Americans—
Montana— History. | Chinese Americans— Montana—
Biography. | Montana— Antiquities. | Montana—
Race relations.
Classification: lcc f740.c5 m47 2017 (print) | lcc
f740.c5 (ebook) | ddc 978.6/004951— dc23
lc record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016050487
Set in Quadraat by John Klopping.
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
1. Entrance and Expansion, 1862– 1880 1
2. Restriction and Legal Attacks, 1880– 1900 54
3. Diversification, Collapse, and Aging, 1900– 1943 95
4. Archaeology of the Overseas Chinese in Montana 137
5. Chinese Social Organization in Montana
and Archaeological Implications 167
6. Conclusions and Future Directions 204
References 223
Index 249

Illustrations
1. Map of Montana ............................................3
2. Chinese population centers in 1870 ...........................9
3. Population pyramid for Chinese in Montana, 1870 ............10
4. Hand- stacked rock hearth at China Gulch ................... 20
5. Selection of Chinese artifacts recovered from
excavations at German Gulch .............................. 24
6. Chinaman’s Cove showing hydraulic
mining– created gully ..................................29
7. Chinese population centers in 1880 ......................... 58
8. Population pyramid for Chinese in Montana, 1880 ........... 60
9. Opium can recovered from German Gulch .................. 69
10. West Portal, Mullan Tunnel ................................ 80
11. Chinese population centers in 1900 ......................... 98
12. Chinese businesses in Butte, 1890– 1945. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
13. Small celadon or “wintergreen” style Overseas
Chinese vessel ........................................... 105
14. Chinese population centers in 1910 ........................ 120
15. Chinese population centers in 1920 .........................121
16. Chinese population centers in 1930 .........................121
17. Chinese population centers in 1940 ........................ 122
18. Population pyramid of Chinese in Montana, 1900 ........... 123
19. Population pyramid of Chinese in Montana, 1930 ........... 123
20. Population pyramid of Chinese in Montana, 1940 ........... 124
21. Brick and mortar Chinese funerary burner
at Forestvale Cemetery ................................... 132
22. Marble headstone for Chinese grave at
Forestvale Cemetery ...................................... 133
23. Chinese artifacts from German Gulch
Archaeological Collection ................................ 139
24. Chinese “funs” trays from China Gulch in
western Montana ........................................ 147
vii
25. Pewter pheasant recovered from Marysvale
Laundry excavations .................................. 154
26. Chinese and Japanese population of Montana, 1868– 2000 ... 211
27. Traditional social organization in China and
new opportunities ................................... 214
28. Social organization opportunities available
to the Chinese immigrant ............................. 215
29. “Chinatown” road sign on Jeff Davis Creek ............... 221
Tables
1. Chinese archaeological sites in Montana
relating to the 1862– 1880 period ..........................2
2. Montana Chinese population by county, 1870 ...............9
3. Montana Territory employment of Chinese men, 1870 ....... 11
4. Montana Territory employment of Chinese women, 1870 ..... 12
5. Montana Chinese population by location, 1870 ............. 13
6. Chinese archaeological sites in Montana
relating to the 1880– 1900 period .........................55
7. Montana Chinese population by county, 1880 ..............57
8. Montana Chinese population by location, 1880 .............59
9. Montana Territory employment of Chinese men, 1880 ....... 61
10. Montana Territory employment of Chinese women, 1880 .....63
11. Chinese archaeological sites and opium
paraphernalia discovered ...............................72
12. Montana Chinese population by county, 1890 ..............89
13. Chinese- born population by state, top six
population centers, 1890 ...............................89
14. Chinese archaeological sites in Montana
relating to the 1900– 1943 period .........................96
15. Montana employment of Chinese men, 1900 ...............99
16. Montana employment of Chinese women, 1900 ........... 100
17. Montana Chinese population by county, 1900– 1930 ........ 118
18. Montana employment of Chinese men, 1930 and 1940 ...... 119
19. Montana employment of Chinese women, 1930 and 1940 .... 120
20. Montana Chinese population by location, 1900 ............ 124
21. Montana Chinese population by location, 1930 ............ 126
22. Montana Chinese population by location, 1940 ............ 126
viii Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the dozens of students, faculty, and volunteers who assisted
in this complex and sometimes overwhelming project. Without my loved
ones this project never would have been so complete, so satisfying, or such
a labor of love. Finally, I want to thank the reviewers of this manuscript,
the editorial staff, and the copy editor, who spent so many long hours
making this the best manuscript possible.
This book is dedicated to those Chinese pioneers who forged a new life
in the harsh social and natural climate of Montana and to all those who
still come in search of new opportunities under the Big Sky.
ix