|
 |
The discovery of gold in the Sierras
in the 1850s first brought the Chinese to California. In the Sierra
foothills, the Chinese miners often encountered discrimination when
forced to work the poorest claims. In time, some of the Chinese left
the gold fields and settled on the fertile farmlands of the Delta.
When the Central Pacific Railroad completed its transcontinental route through the Sierras in 1869, more than 12,000 Chinese laborers were released and many settled in the Delta as tenant farmers. During the 1870s, Chinese crews were used throughout the Delta to build levees. They would organize work gangs and employ a "China Boss," who could speak English, to negotiate with landlords and ranchers. Levee building required the construction of ridges to a height that water wouldn't reach during flooding. The Chinese laboriously carried buckets and wheelbarrows of soil, clay and sandstone to build up the levees. Information adapted from: Charles Bohakel, Daily Ledger, June 1999.
Information ~ Early History ~ The Parlor ~ The Bedrooms ~ The Kitchen The Office ~ Farm Equipment ~ For Teachers Historical Researcher: Ann Wolfe
|
