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CONTOURS OF RACE: THE CHINESE IN ASTORIA, OREGON by REGAN S. WATJUS A THESIS Presented to the Department of History and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts June 2013 THESIS APPROVAL PAGE Student: Regan S. Watjus Title: Contours of Race: The Chinese in Astoria, Oregon This thesis has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in the Department of History by: Jeffrey Ostler Chairperson Marsha Weisiger Member Glenn May Member and Kimberly Andrews Espy Vice President for Research and Innovation; Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded June 2013 ii © 2013 Regan S. Watjus iii THESIS ABSTRACT Regan S. Watjus Master of Arts Department of History June 2013 Title: Contours of Race: The Chinese in Astoria, Oregon Like most whites living on the Pacific Coast during the late nineteenth century, white residents of Astoria, Oregon supported the notion that the Chinese, as a race, were culturally and economically depraved and certainly worthy of exclusion. Nonetheless, Chinese immigrants had a significant presence in Astoria, and while the anti-Chinese attitudes of local whites appeared straightforward, probing on-the-ground race relations reveals that they were actually quite complex. This thesis shows that white Astorians struggled to reconcile a principled stance against the Chinese with the pragmatism of accepting at least a temporary place for them in the community. The variegated roles that the Chinese played in Astoria and their tangible presence in different spheres of town life were recognized, even if only begrudgingly, by white Astorians. Overall, the contradictions that characterized race language and race relations demonstrate that the contours of race in late-nineteenth-century Astoria were multiple, undefined, and constantly negotiated. iv CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Regan S. Watjus GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma DEGREES AWARDED: Master of Arts, History, 2013, University of Oregon Bachelor of Arts, History, 2008, University of Oklahoma AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: 19th Century United States History PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Graduate Teaching Fellow, Department of History, University of Oregon, 2011- 2013 GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS: Oregon Heritage Fellow, Heritage Programs Division, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, 2012-2013 Graduate Teaching Fellow, Department of History, University of Oregon, 2011- 2013 William H. Maehl, Jr. Award, Department of History, University of Oklahoma, 2008-2009 National Merit Scholar, University of Oklahoma, 2004-2008 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many people who have been instrumental in my personal and intellectual growth over the last two years. Several faculty members in the UO Department of History have, through classes and individual conversations, significantly fostered my learning and development in the academic field of history. My graduate student colleagues have supported me, patiently answered my never-ending questions, reviewed and offered valuable comments about my research and writing, inspired me with their own passion and knack for history, and humored me in countless ways. I cannot thank them enough for the welcoming and engaging intellectual community they have contributed to here. The same can be said for my committee members. Dr. Glenn May and Dr. Marsha Weisiger offered important suggestions and helped me immensely with my writing. I thank them for their investment in and contributions to this project. And I am especially grateful to my advisor, Dr. Jeffrey Ostler. His ability to help me make sense of it all was crucial. He addressed my concerns about the project with patience and care, offered thoughtful questions that continuously pushed me to dig deeper, and continuously helped move the project forward through his involvement, guidance, and support. Liisa Penner, the archivist at the Clatsop County Historical Society, offered valuable assistance throughout this entire process as well. Her wealth of knowledge on Astoria history and her willingness to answer my many questions were essential to my research and to my ability to visualize the space and social dynamics of late-nineteenth- century Astoria. I am grateful to staff members of the Astoria Public Library, Columbia River Maritime Museum, Astoria City Manager’s Office, and University of Oregon vi Knight Library for their assistance during my research. I’d also like to thank the Heritage Programs Division of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department for important funding for this project. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to my parents, who never cease to offer needed love and laughter. My family has always been a constant source of support, humor, and inspiration, and I never would have gotten to where I am without them. Also, my dog Jerry has provided me with comfort and company through this long process. And finally, I’d like to thank my fiancé Chavis, for always reminding me to live the good life. vii To Mom and Dad viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 II. TESTING THE WATERS: THE BURGEONING OF AN INTERRACIAL COMMUNITY ............................................................................ 16 III. NAVIGATING THROUGH TURBULENT SEAS: ASTORIA DURING THE PEAK OF REGIONAL ANTI-CHINESE ACTIVITY ................................ 55 IV. ANCHORING IN: TOWARDS A MORE STABLE COMMUNITY.................. 107 V. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................... 144 REFERENCES CITED ................................................................................................ 152 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Illustration of Chinese workers in Astoria salmon cannery ................................... 22 2. 1884 Sanborn map of Astoria’s Chinatown ........................................................... 46 3. Chinese burial ceremony, 1892.............................................................................. 85 4. 1888 Sanborn map of Astoria’s Chinatown ........................................................... 125 5. 1892 Sanborn map of Astoria’s Chinatown ........................................................... 126 6. Astoria Daily Budget article mocking the Chinese ................................................ 135 x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Driving to Astoria, Oregon, on a foggy January day, I’m only about twenty-five miles north of Eugene on the I-5 when I notice that I’m passing a sign for the Halsey/Brownsville exit in Linn County. My mind flashes to the newspaper article I read not too long ago about how, in the mid-1880s, Halsey’s white citizens drove out all the town’s Chinese residents. The expulsion took place in the midst of a surge of anti- Chinese riots and removals happening all along the Pacific coast throughout 1885 and 1886. However, after being ousted from the town, a dozen or so of Halsey’s Chinese decided to make their way to Astoria, a burgeoning port town near the mouth of the Columbia River.1 Why? Racial and cultural slurs against the Chinese were prevalent throughout the West in the late nineteenth century, and Astoria was no exception. Whether derided as “celestial brutes from the Flowery Kingdom,” “pig-tailed garlic eating, opium smoking heathn[s],” or “white-haired descendant[s] of Confucius,” the Chinese were considered by many white Astorians to be filthy, smelly, and religiously and culturally backward.2 Yet, this overtly racist rhetoric translated into action against the Chinese only to a certain extent. In general, racism in Astoria had its limits, and Chinese immigrants constituted an important part of Astoria’s community. Although a majority of white Astorians supported 1 Daily Morning Astorian, October 3, 1885:3. 2 These specific descriptions come from the Weekly Astorian, January 15, 1876:3 and the Daily Astorian, May 16, 1876:1 and June 12, 1876:1, but the same sorts of characterizations can be found throughout Astoria’s newspapers during this time period. 1 the passage of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited Chinese laborers from immigrating to the United States, as well as the attitude underpinning it—that the Chinese were, as a race, undesirable—there is also evidence that some residents recognized how the Chinese filled particular local needs. This may have been only a begrudging or tacit acknowledgement of Chinese roles in the community. Nevertheless, it complicated and obstructed the strength of anti-Chinese sentiment and action in Astoria. This thesis explores the inconsistencies that pervaded race thought and behavior in Astoria in the late nineteenth century. It demonstrates that white Astorians generally struggled to reconcile a principled stance against the Chinese with the pragmatism of accepting at least a temporary place for them in the community. The 1870s through the 1890s comprised a period of nationwide economic hardship, which significantly contributed to a rise in labor activism. On the Pacific Coast, the working class directed its angst towards the region’s seemingly most foreign element, the Chinese, who had found work in mines, canneries, railroad construction, agriculture, and other burgeoning regional industries. Although

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