lllNCO:VERING A CHINES1:i I.EGA:~¥: H ISTORICAL ARCMAE~ OGY AT ONCE 'FHE "RANDSOMEST T.GWN lN THE BASJN'' BY PRJSCILL.A WE:GARS • UNIVERSJTY GF IDARO EDITED AND PRODUCED BY U.S. DEPARTMEN~ OF THE INTERIOR • BUREAU OF 1:.AN,D MJANAGEMEN1' IDA:flO CULTURAL. RESOl:JR,CES SERIES • N 1UMBER FIVE •• UNCOVERING A CHINESE LEGACY: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY AT ONCE THE "HANDSOMEST TOWN IN THE BASIN" BY PRISCILLA WEGARS ASIAN AMERICAN COMPARATIVE COLLECTION ALFRED W. BOWERS LABORATORY OF ANTHROPOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO HISTORICAL RESEARCH SUPPORTED BY GRANTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ID·AHO'S JOHN CALHOUN SMITH MEMORIAL FUND ILLUSTRATIONS BY YIXIAN XU DEAN C. SHAW, TECHNICAL EDITOR JENNIFER JONES AND DON SMURTHWAITE, REVIEW EDITORS MEGGAN LAXALT, GRAPHIC DESIGN BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT IDAHO CULTURAL RESOURCES SERIES• NUMBER FIVE OCTOBER,2OO1 : 009 0~ This publication has been made more "reader-friendly" by eliminating the manuscript's numerous footnotes to source citations. Persons wanting specific references to information contained in the text are invited to contact the author at the Asian American Comparative Collection, Alfred W. Bowers Laboratory of Anthropology, University ofldaho, Moscow, ID 83844-1111. TITLE PAGE PHOTO: BOISE BASIN MINER AND HIS DWELLING, ABOUT 1900. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY IDAHO STA-.-E HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 76-119.6. DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF PHOTOS BY MARY ANNE DAVIS John Morton "Jack" Young attended the University of Virginia and the University of Texas at El Paso, earning a BA in American and Latin Studies in 1967. He then obtained his MA in Anthropology in 1970 from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Jack served as archaeologist from 1977 to 1994 for the Bureau of Land Management's Boise District. Those who knc\\' Jack not only appreciated his professionalism in the field, but also the breadth of his character and his variety of interests. He was fluent in Spanish, he taught anthropology and archaeology, he was an avid ham radio operator and collector of vintage equipment, he was a pilot, and he was a master classical guitar musician. Jack passed away on February 22, 1995, after a long battle with prostate cancer, but his spirit lives on. This publication is a celebration of Jack's work - from the family, friends, co-workers, and fellow archaeologists whose lives he deeply touched. FOREWORD CASCADE RESOURCE AREA MANAGER'S MESSAGE ~-!-­ A~ - ,--L ~n tis my pleasure to write the foreword to solution that allows the miner to continue working ~ this publication. The Bureau of Land his claim as provided by the 1872 mining law, while Management manages about 12 million acres in cooperating with BLM to presenre and share Idaho, practicing multiple-use management decision­ information about Centerville's history and making every day. This report presents the findings of contributions to Idaho's settlement. a cultural resource project undertaken to understand Centerville's history has not ended, but continues the historical values existing at the old Centerville under BLM's management to provide our public town site, once a thriving frontier gold mining town. land users a place to visit where you can imagine life The project at Centerville is an example of a conflict in a 1860 mining camp, eat a picnic lunch, cross­ that resource managers and their staff deal with. country ski, hike, or hunt big game. I hope you Ironically, the pursuit of gold is the activity that enjoy reading and learning about Centerville's currently threatens the old townsite. Expanding colorful history in Uncovering a Chinese Legacy: mineral prospecting within the townsite (since it was Historical Archaeology at Centerl'ille, Idaho - initially spared from prospecting) conflicts with Once "The Handsomest Town in the Basin.» BLM's management responsibilities to protect and preserve cultural resources, including historical properties and BLM's administration of the 1872 mining law. The project took several years to complete, but John Fend it was well worth the wait. The final outcome is a Arca Manager, Bureau of Land Management workable management plan. The project was a Cascade Resource Area team dfort that required consultation, patience, compromise, and hard work. The results represent a \' CONTENTS DEDICATION Dedication ........................................................................ iii FOREWORD Fore,vord ........................................................................... ,, ABOUT THE AUTHOR About the Author ......................................................... xiii PREFACE Preface .............................................................................. xv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Acknowledgments ........................................................ xvii CHAPTER ONE Historical Background .................................................... 1 A BRIEF HISTORY OF CENTERVILLE'S Early Centerville ............................................................... 1 CAUCASIAN COMMUNITY " Caucasian Centerville between 1865 and 1897 ........ 3 I(_" -- Sf. Centerville Revitalized, 1898 to Late-1910 ............... 7 t ~ Gold Mining .............. ................................................... 7 Centerville's Increased Prosperity ............................ 8 Monazite Mining ...................................................... 11 Depression-Era Mining at Centerville .................... 13 Later Centen,ille ............................................................. 14 CHAPTER TWO The Chinese Enter the Boise Basin .................. ......... 15 THE HISTORY OF THE CHINESE The Chinese in Centerville from 1865 to 1890 .... 17 IN CENTERVILLE Miners ................................................................ ...... ... 18 Businesses . .. ... .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .... ... .. .. ... .. .. .. ... ........ .. ... ... 2 0 Chinese Women ........................................................ 22 Centerville's. "Chinatown" ..................................... 24 Aspects of Daily Life ................................................ 24 Chinese Customs and Institutions at Centerville ... 26 · Leisure Pursuits ......................................................... 26 e~Jdalw. vii CONTENTS CHAPTER TWO Opium Smoking .................................................... 26 THE HISTORY OF THE CHINESE Gambling ................................................................. 27 IN CENTERVILLE "' Religious Temples ...................................................... 28 ,r_,: -- ~ Lunar New Year Celebrations .................................. 30 t-Jf Fraternal Organizations and "Tongs" :................... 34 Chinese Cemeteries and Burial Practices ............... 35 Centerville's Asian Community after 1890 ............... 37 Miners .......................................................................... 38 Businesses .................................................................... 39 Baking········:···································· ......................... 39 Gardening ................................................................ 39 Laundering .............................................................. 40 Storekeeping ........................................................... 40 Women ......................................................................... 42 Chinato\v11 ................................................................... 43 Daily Life ..................................................................... 44 Discussion .......... : ............................................................. 50 CHAPTER THREE Introduction ..................................................... .. .. .......... 53 THE 1993 EXCAVATIONS AND Environmental Oven1iew ............................................. 5 3 SURFACE COLLECTIONS Archaeological Background ........................................ 5 3 Research Design and Research Questions ................. 5 5 Research, Excavation, and Surface Collection Methodology .............................. .. .. .. ..... 5 6 Phase One, Surface Collection of Sites 10BO502 and 10BO503 .. .. ... ................... 56 Phase Two, Excavation ............................... ............. 56 I0BO328 .................................................... ........... 57 I0BO496 ............................................................... 59 I0BO501 ............................................................... 60 I0BO774 ............................................................... 60 Backl1oe Trench .................................................... 60 10BO340 (TRIO) ............................................ 62 IOBO505 (TR85, TR90-TR100) ................ 62 viii CONTENTS CHAPTER THREE 10BO773 (TR60) .............................................. 63 THE 1993 EXCAVATIONS AND 10BO780 (TR140) ............................................ 63 SURFACE COLLECTIONS 10BO781 (TR25) .............................................. 63 Other Surface Collections: 10BO340, 10BO504, and 10BO688 ................. 63 Concluding Remarks ..................................................... 64 CHAPTER FOUR The Recovered Artifacts .............................................. 65 ARTIFACTS AND ARTIFACT ANALYSES Artifact Processing and Cataloging ........................... 65 Metal Conservation ...................................................... 65 Artifact Inventory Databases ...................................... 66 Artifact Summaries ....................................................... 66 Phase One Surface Collection: 10BO502 and 10BO503 .................................... 66 Site Excavations