Explores archaeological questions related to the first Chinese Americans in the Bay Area.

1. “Our First Chinese”
Potential Archaeology of Chinese
Communities at Stanford University
Christopher Lowman, UC Berkeley

2. Research Questions
• How was cultural identity negotiated in a hybrid cultural
context?
– (In what way did members of the community “mash up” cultural
practices?)
• How did the community relate to other communities in the
area?
– (Is there evidence of trade, social networks, or responses to material
availability?)

3. Timeline
• 1869: Completion of the San José is burned.
Transcontinental Railroad.
• 1891: Stanford University opens.
• 1876: Leland Stanford purchases All cooks are Chinese.
land for the Palo Alto Stock Farm.
1/3 of employees are Chinese. • 1892: Second Exclusion Act. Anti-
Chinese sentiments published in
• 1882: First Exclusion Act severely Palo Alto soon after.
limits Chinese immigration.
• 1900: Far fewer Chinese employees
• 1885: Construction of Stanford are at Stanford than ever before.
University begins. A Chinese work
force constructs some of the first
streets.
• 1887: Market Street Chinatown in

4. Chinese America: History & Perspectives 1998
Doumen County
(formerly Huangliang Du Administrative Region)

5. Working on the Stanford Residence
Stanford University Archives Palo Alto Historical Archives
Ah Wing in 1905, Memoir from 1906 Gardener working on carpet flower
bed, Stanford Residence 1888

6. Types of Work
- Housekeeping
- (private residences, boarding
houses, fraternities)
- Stock Farm Employees
- (horses, barley)
- Construction
- (roads)
- Fruit and Vegetable Growers
- (strawberries, lettuce)
- Cooks
Stanford University Archives
- (residence halls, fraternities)
Vegetable Seller on Alvarado Row, c. 1890s
- Janitors
- (residence halls)

7. Stock Farm
Stanford University Archives
Vegetable Grounds with Boarding House,
“China House,” 1880
Stanford University Archives
Detail of Stanford Residence Map
featuring a “China Camp”, 1879

8. Residences and Fraternities
History San José
Stanford University Archives
Obituary for Lund Bing Moy, c.
Faculty and Student 1925
Housing, 1915

9. Neighboring Communities: Palo Alto and Mayfield
Northridge Map Library
Mayfield, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
1884
Palo Alto Historical Archives
Mok Wo is refused a
restaurant license, 1905

10. Neighboring Communities: Mountain View
Mountain View Public Library
History San José Yuen Lung Store on View Street, 1879-
Chinese Camp on C.C. Morse Seed Ranch, 1946
photographed 1940s-1960s but likely dating
much earlier

11. Neighboring Communities: San José
History San José
Jue Mon Get and Friend, San José c. 1910s
History San José
“Chinese Sam” at the
Quicksilver Mining
Company, before 1889

12. Next Steps
- Community Consultation:
Contact with Descendants and
Stakeholder Community
- Sites Need to be Recorded:
Digitizing records, Land
Survey, and GIS
- Follow-up on additional sites:
Peter Coutts, Searsville, Jasper
Ridge
Stanford University Archives

13. Thank you—
Barb Voss
Laurie Wilkie
Laura Jones
Jun Sunseri
History San José
Stanford University Archives
Palo Alto Historical Archives
Northridge Map Library
classmates from Anthro 227