Reporter: Polly Keegan

St. Helen’s History with the Chinese Immigrants

Today’s Speaker: Miriam Hansen, St. Helena Historical Society

The speaker today was Miriam Hansen, who along with Susan Salvestrin have been our town’s principal gatherers and distributors of history, photographs and general memorabilia.

Miriam began by relating* a little of St. Helen’s founding in 1826 with a deed for 126 acres filed by Mr. Waters.  About the same time, in China, the Cantonese Province became the principal region trading with the West, giving the Cantonese exposure to western ideas and products. Beginning in 1850, the 13-year rebellion against the Manchu dynasty cost millions of lives and hard times. News of the gold rush in California caused Cantonese to migrate to California. These Chinese migrated here in three ways: as entrepreneurs, as indentured servants and as poor peasants whose passage was paid with a “credit-ticket” to be repaid from wages. Except for prostitutes, all the migrants were men.

In 1857, 100 workers were brought into Sonoma County to work in the Buena Vista farm, and planted 16,870 vines.  In 1861 Chinese labor was being furnished to Charles Krug and Jacob Gundlach in Napa County at about $1/day wages.  By 1886, the booming wine industry used 75% Chinese labor and depended on it until the 1890’s. Workers built wine caves and press houses, managed the wine-making, quarried rock for large villas drained marshes and built dykes.  Later they picked hops and gathered wheat, tended orchards, grew peanuts, strawberries and vegetables as tenant farmers. They became valued domestic servants and cooks. They built all the railroads in the county, and worked in local quicksilver mines. Remnants today include the caves of Schramsberg and Berringer, stonewalls in the area, and the original Grace Church.

While a few laws encouraged this source of cheap labor, various taxes were imposed on many “coolie” operations. The federal Chinese Exclusion Acts (1882-1892) disallowed Chinese from landing on US shores (or returning from visits home). Traveling north in St. Helena, Chinatown was located west of Charter Oak Avenue, set back in the distance, consisting of a group of two rows of shabby wooden buildings, with a temple at each end. It was located near what is now the We Care Animal Shelter. In this climate of discrimination, a group of St. Helenans formed an Anti-Coolie League in 1886, marched on Chinatown and demanded that it be vacated in 10 days.  A group of businessmen (leading vinyardists) argued that such an action would have a negative effect on the community, and the major labor source would be forced out before other vineyard workers could be found. Chinatown occupants hired a lawyer, and remained.

Census figures show 17 Chinese in Napa County in 1860, 263 in 1870, 905 in 1880, and down to 541 in 1900. In St. Helena, there were 200 workers rising to a peak of about 600 in the 1890’s. The Chinese celebrated their New Year's fervently and invited everybody.  There was also a chinese section in the cememtary, but most of the bodies were exhumed and sent back to China. The Chinese eventually felt too vulnerable and moved back to urban areas. By the early 1880's, Italian imigrants took over. Eventually, three fires (1884,1898 and 1911) destroyed Chinatown. 
 

*the above information is quoted from Miriam’s Rotary address and an issue of the “Electrolier”, Spring 2011, Volume 9, number 2.

Visiting Rotarians: None

Guests:

John Hollister, guest of John Muhlner, Susan Salvestrin and Miriam Hansen of the Historical Society.

Announcements:

• Margo Kennedy announced the February 8 dinner meeting of the Napa Valley Rotary Association at the Commissary Building of the Napa Wine Train.  Reservations must be made through Margo, (707) 888-8948.
• Miriam Hanson of the Historical Society announced “Museum for a Day” on March 25 from 10-4, to be held in the Catholic School Gym. There will be much memorabilia from the Pope Valley Resort!
• President Kelly Crane announced that the ballot for District Governor in 2013-14 has Kevin Eisenberg listed only. He asked for the membership to concur that the ballot also contain the names of two additional Rotarians, one from Urica and one from Rancho Cordova. The membership did agree.
• President Kelly also announced that the Fundraising Committee will be meeting at 11:00am on Tuesday January 24 to move ahead with designing a poker/auction event during the May/June timeframe.
• Valentine’s lunch will be at the CIA , details later.

Lottery Winners:

And they were: Alston Hayne, Jill Munson and Lester Hoel.

Bell Ringers:

Jim Smith donated $30 to his Paul Harris to celebrate the marriage of his son on Friday the 13^th!