From Canton Canon Perdido: Chinese Fishermen of Santa Barbara

NOTICIAS Quarterly Magazine Of The Santa Barbara Historical Society Vol XLIV, No, 3

Autumn 1998

From Canton to Canon Perdido: Chinese Fishermen of Santa Barbara

'hefirstsignificant influx ofChinese to the Santa Barbara area occurred in the late 1860s, when many arrived to work,on construction ofthe Santa Ynez Turnpike over San Marcos Pass. Within a decade, the Chinese hadformed a thriving com munity centered in thefirst block ofEast Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbaras Chinatown was economically diverse and was self-sufficent to a great extent, offering economic opportunity,socialinteraction,and education to its inhabitants.

Unda Bentz takes afresh look at this vibrant community,focusing on the close economic relationship between Chinese merchantmen and those engaged in the localfishing industry.

The Chinese played a pivotal role in California’s commercialfishing enterprises in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and this was certainly true on the South Coast, wherefishing is still an important part ofthe economy today.

All photographs are fivm the collection ofthe Santa Barbara Historical Society unless otherwise noted. Front cover photograph is a portrait, ca. igoo, oflocal merchant Hing Lee and his granddaughter. Computerfont ofPacific Oceanfish designed by Judy Sutcliffe.

THE AUTHOR: Linda Bentz received her BA., in anthropology fivm UCLA. She has worked with the National Park Service investigating Chinese presence on the Channel Is lands and has written a number ofarticles on Chinese boat building in California and Chi nese involvement in California’sfishing industry. Her archaeological work includes studies of the Chinese communities in Ventura and Santa Barbara.She lives in San Pedro, California.

INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS: NOTICIAS is a quarterly journal de voted to the study of the history of Santa Barbara County. Contributions of articles are welcome. Those authors whose articles are accepted for publication will receive ten gratis copies of the issue in which their article appears. Further copies are available to the contributor at cost. The authority in matters of style is the University ofChicago Manual ofStyle, i^th edition. The Publications Committee reserves the right to return submitted manuscripts for required changes. Statements and opinions expressed in arti cles are the sole responsibility of the author.

Michael Redmon, Editor Judy Sutcliffe, Designer

® 1998 The Santa Barbara Historical Society 136 E. De la Guerra Street. Santa Barbara, California 93101 Telephone: 805/966-1601 ● Fax: 805/966-1603 Single copies $5.00

ISSN 0581-5916

prom Canton to Canon perdido:

Chinese pisbermen of

Santa Darbara Linda Dentz

In 1872 the Santa Barbara Index covered

called and told me

the following event:

that in the process of an investigation of a shipwreck, the Qoldenhom, he came upon evidence that Chinese abalone fishermen had worked on Santa Rosa Island. He

Chinamen are at work building a man -ofwar at the shipyard on Canon Perdido Street.

It has two k^els, one on each side,and looks as ifit would k^el over when launched. It isflatbottomed, slab-sided and sejuare-cornered, and altogether absurd.^ Chinese junks in Santa Barbara? Local history has acknowledged the presence of Chinese settlers in Santa Barbara for years, but junk builders come as a surprise. The pervasive image of the Chinese settlers who lived in California during the last cen tury is of nameless and faceless men who built the railroads, worked as domestic workers, and owned laundries. Who were these ship builders? What were they do ing in these odd-looking vessels?

In April. 1995, 1 was asked to explore the activities of Chinese fishermen on San ta Rosa Island. I was seeking a new Asian American research project, after recently graduating from UCLA. While studying anthropology there, I had just completed a social history of the Chinese community in Ventura, Don Morris, archaeologist for the Channel Islands National Park Service,

asked me if I would like to investigate their presence on the island and provide the National Park Service with a report.

This request was the beginning of a great adventure. Little did I know at the time that this investigation would take me on an archaeological expedition on Santa Rosa Island, into hundreds of immigration files at the National Archives, and on a thrilling search for California-built Chi nese junks. This was a dream come true.

The study of the Chinese fishermen of Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands was a formidable task. In Chinese re search, reliance on archival sources is trou blesome. There are inherent problems with the historic record for Euroamericans recorded the majority of the Chinese expe rience in Santa Barbara. Prejudice and lack of understanding of the Chinese culture 77

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of Chinese immigration there was limited continuity between generations due to the migrant nature of Chinese labor and the ultimate return of many settlers to their homeland. Finally, Chinese records, such as membership rolls to the local tong or merchants’ records, are either lost or una vailable.

tended to taint the perception of the Chi nese. Victorian morals were also vastly different from Chinese morals and values.

There also was a language barrier be tween the Chinese and the host communi ty, TTiis meant that there was little writ ten or oral communication between the Chinese and the residents of Santa Barba ra. The language barrier created problems for census takers. They frequently mis spelled names and could not understand re sponses to questions, rendering the census records practically unreliable.

Chinese in the United States had few

In the beginning the only data availa ble were Chinese ceramics associated with black abalone shells found in three loca tions on Santa Rosa Island and the news paper account regarding the junk, men tioned above. I surmised that the junk and the abalone shells were connected, and I

civil rights. They were not citizens so they had limited access to legal representa tion, voting privileges, and they could not testify against Euroamericans. These legal limitations created a deficit of official doc

decided Santa Barbara was the first place to look for Chinese fishermen.

T~he data for this work came from newspaper accounts, oral histories, federal Fish and Fisheries Reports, published ma terials on the subject, immigration maps, lists and interviews, and photograph anal-

umentation regarding the Chinese. Cultu ral factors also contribute to the lack of historical information. In the early years

Thefour-masted Goldenhorn came to griefon the rock.s of Santa Rpsa Island on thefoggy evening of September iz, i8gz. In her hold was overz8oo tons ofcoal meantfor the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Photograph courtesy ofthe National Park,Service.

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CHINESE FISHERMEN

ysis. Slowly, like chc petals of a lotus blossom, the story of the Chinese fisher men of Santa Barbara began to unfold.

The contribution made by Chinese fishermen is important to the history of California. They were the pioneers of the commercial fishing industry in this state.

These industrious and persistent men oc cupied a niche that was undesirable to Euroamericans. They were among the early pioneers in the harvesting, cooking, dry ing, and marketing of fresh fish in the nineteenth century. Their story is one of ingenuity and ultimate success.

Chinese AAisratJon to America The Cantonese-speaking pioneers who ar rived in the United States during the nine teenth century came from Guangdong province. Their homes were located in a small region that is made up of two dozen

districts clustered in the vicinity of Guangzhou (Canton), the capital of Guangdong.2 All of these immigrants, ex cept one group, spoke Cantonese or a dia lect that was closely related.

There was great unrest in China and several factors pushed many Chinese to emigrate beginning in the 1850s, such as the Opium Wars of 1839-1842 and 1856-1860, peasant rebellions, and floods which caused poverty and hunger. The people of Guangdong province were pulled to America with the discovery of gold in 1848. California was known in China as the Gold Mountain, or gum saan, and many men came in pursuit of gold.3 This migration also included merchants and fishermen who were seeking new opportu nities in the United States.

Sfiang Hai Company,at 932-93^ State Street,ivas only one ofa nwnber ofretail outlets operated by Chinese merchants.

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Many of the men leaving China were married. They wanted to come to the United States, make their fortune, and re turn to China with enough money to live comfortably with their families. Since these men planned to remain only tempo rarily in the United States, they came to be known as sojourners. Money, referred to as remittances, was sent to China to support their families. Periodically, a few Chinese men would return to their home land to visit their families and rest after la boring in the United States.

Initially the Chinese were welcomed to the gold mines of California along with miners from all over the world. Sadly, this gracious reception did not last long. AntiChinese hostility took hold, and Chinese miners were taxed, driven from their claims, robbed, and, in some cases, mur dered. These miners were forced to find employment elsewhere.

At the time. California was a frontier territory with a great demand for labor, and Chinese men filled positions as rail road builders, laundrymen. domestics, ag ricultural workers, and heavy laborers. As

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the railroads were completed, many Chi nese settlers came to southern California.

Santa Barbara was a growing area that of fered employment and great treasures from the sea. Many Chinese settlers were from fishing regions in China, so it was natural for them to become involved in the fishing industry.

^nta Darbara’s Chinese Communitg Social, Political and economic Structure Chinese customs and practices need to be explored to achieve an understanding of the role of the Chinese fishermen in the Chinese enclaves and their relationship to the host community. Chinese business practices were an integral part of an infra structure that existed in early China towns. This included social, political, and economic organizations. The Chinese Ex clusion Acts also had a large impact on Chinese business practices in California.

Chinese settlers from the Guangdong province placed great importance on line-

CHINESE FISHERMEN age and district associations. To the resi dents of California's Chinatowns, the apex of the social organizational structure was the district societies. Tliese consisted of people who were born in the same region in China. During the 1850s in San Francis co, six district associations banded togeth er to form the Chinese Six Companies.

Their responsibilities included settling con flicts between the various district associa tions and providing health and educational services to the community.'^ Family associations derived their iden tity from a common ancestor and fre quently maintained a headquarters.

The societies provided versatile, hosting socialfunctions and offering insurance, burial arrangements, and other human services.

Often, involvement was greater; bachelors were permitted permission to sleep in some of the local headquarters.^ A controversial aspect of the Chinese social structure was the tongs. Chapters of the various tongs were located in Santa Barbara’s Chinese community, and over time certain tongs came and went.

Membership in a tong was not limited to lineage or district association. Ms. L. Eve Armentrout Ma refers to tongs as lodges; Lodges provided members with protection against outsiders, companionship in a hostile environment, and a sense ofcommunity. They have a religious underpinning, and a lodge ivill invariably maintain a Chinese templefor the use ofmembers.^

LEFT: The building at zi East Canon Perdido Street served a number ofpurposes over the years for the Chinese ofSanta Barbara. At the time this photograph was taken, igz^, the building housed the Chee Kung tong. Today, the tong’s shrine forms the centerpiece of an exhibit at the Santa Barbara Historical T^useum examining the his tory ofSanta Barbaras Chinese community.

81

Merchants were among the earliest im migrants to come to the United States.

They were not seen as upper-class citizens in China, however, in the west they be came the ruling-class elite. Their elevated status could have been due to the fact that merchants were a less transient element in the Chinese community than the migrant laborer. TTieir other attributes included a vast amount of material resources when compared with the average Chinese work er, and they could usually speak English so as to interact with the host community.

Chinese merchants played many roles in the Chinese community. Another as pect of the Chinese merchants’ role in Chinatown was providing their fellow set tlers with goods from the homeland.

These familiar goods helped the newcom ers to continue their ties with China.

The store became a strictly ChineseAmerican social institution. Men mostly spent their leisure time in the back rooms of Chinese stores. There they would calk together, send and receive letters home from China, post public notices (written on red paper and posted by the door), challenge each other to chess or checkers, play musical instruments, and read news papers. In some cases they attempted to learn English from An English-Chinese Phrase Book, put together by Wong Sam and Assistants in 1875 in San Francisco.7 Chinese services were in demand and Chinese labor contractors, many of whom were also merchants, probably interacted with the Euroamerican employers. They also acted as agents and translators for large groups of Chinese laborers. The con tractors had contacts with other Chinese labor contractors in nearby towns; there fore, a grapevine was established as to where work was needed, The Chinese merchant-contractor also profited from supplying the harvest laborer with food

NOTICIAS

82 and shelter. The Euroamerican landowners

regarding the Chinese in Santa Barbara can be found in newspapers beginning in about 1872. Photographs, maps, oral his tories, and immigration files are also use ful source materials.

liked this arrangement because this meant that their wives did not have to cook for the workers.8 TTe farm labor contractor was an important man in Chinatown be cause he was "one of the few organizing influences in a disorganized market."9 TTere was a symbiotic relationship be tween the Chinese merchant-contractor and laborers. In most cases the merchant-

A viable Chinese community was es tablished in Santa Barbara sometime be tween i860 and 1870. Local publications have proposed that the first Chinese set tler came to Santa Barbara in 1865.10 His

contractor and laborer had a kinship tie.

The contractor would hire out his relative and receive a small commission from his

name was Ah Lin, and he operated a res taurant on State Street. Local deed records indicate that the earliest land sale was re

kin for providing employment. If the labor ers had problems on the job they would not revolt or complain. All efforts were made to avoid losing face between family mem bers. Finally, upon the death of the laborer, the merchant-contractor would perhaps take the responsibility to send the bones of the deceased back to China.

corded in January 1867 when Ah Fou pur chased land at the intersection of Banos (present-day Bath) and Yanonali streets,n However, a large percentage of the Chi nese population in Santa Barbara was cen tered on East Canon Perdido Street. This area was considered Chinatown.

Dcsiminss There arc many local histories that have been written about Santa Barbara, however there is little mention of Chinese settlers in these publications. Information

The Chinese community of Santa Bar bara was virtually self sufficient and pro vided jobs, services, and education for its residents. Since many new arrivals consid ered their residence in the United States to be of a temporary nature, they tended to settle among their countrymen, and they maintained their language. To find securi-f /

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CHINESE FISHERMEN

ty in a strange land, they retained their ac customed ways such as traditional dress, consumption of food, the practice of great thrift, the employment of Chinese agents as representatives, and the desire to have their bones returned to their homeland af ter death,12 Immigration files, /V\aps, and Partnership Lists During the research, I found it neces sary to understand the laws and the records chat pertained to the Chinese of California. Only Chinese merchants, tem porary travelers, students, and diplomats were allowed to enter the United States af ter the passage of the Exclusion Act of 1882. Chinese labor ers were excluded

the National Archives in San Francisco and Laguna Niguel, and provide invalu able Information regarding the lives of Chinese settlers in the United States.

The Chinese community was moni tored and heavily scrutinized, A Chinese Inspector was employed by the Customs Department and worked in Santa Barbara to report Chinese movements and activi ties. A map of the Chinese community in 1894 was recently discovered at the Na tional Archives Pacific Southwest Region in Laguna Niguel. John Lynch, Customs Inspector, drew a map of Santa Barbara's Chinese community on East Canon Perdi do Street. He recorded one gambling es tablishment (combined with an opium es tablishment), one general merchandise and uKHi'ifn'iKjx

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from entry into this country. There were no provisions in the act chat allowed for deportation, yet re strictions were placed on Chinese who visit ed their homeland and returned.

For example. I learned chat, according CO tenets of this act, when Chinese settlers returned to China to visit their families, they were required to obtain a "return cer tificate." TTe application process included an interview by federal officials who de termined if the Chinese applicant was eli gible to leave and return to the United States. These interviews are available at

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gambling location, a sleeping room estab lishment, two barber shops, one grocery and restaurant, one employment office, nine general merchandise establishments, two merchant-contractors, one lottery, five opium establishments, one temple, one tong, two Chinese residences, one general merchandise and drug score, and three grocery scores on this map.13 A partnership list accompanied the

LEFT:Santa Barbaras Chinatown was centered in thefirst blockofEast Canon Perdido Street. This detailfixnn the igoT,Sanborn Fire Insurance Coni' pany map shows the northside ofthe street. Atfar right is the Santa Barbara Opera House, built by Jose Lobero in i8yz and replaced in i by the present-day Lobero Theatre.

ABOVE:Identification card ofjein Yuen Tsun,a student in Santa Barbara,issued upon a return to China in igiz. For decades travel between China andthe U.S.for theChinesewas tightly con trolled by thefederalgovernment.

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map. This list itemizes the names of the partners in most Chinese businesses on East Canon Perdido Street. Included are each partner's investment and the value of the stock in the company. It was advanta geous for new arrivals to invest in busi nesses and become a merchant, since mer chants were among the excluded class of Chinese settlers. They could remain in the United States and bring their families over from China.

The Cantonese traditionally estab lished partnerships instead of sole proprie torships. The partners were either inves tors or employees of the company and were usually related by clan association.

Clan members frequented fellow clan members' establishments as well. This was their "moral obligation and the ac 14 cepted mode of behavior.

The Chinese fishermen After my gathering of general histori cal data, the Chinese community in Santa Barbara began to emerge as a tightly structured ethnic community, very similar to the Chinese community in Ventura, but the role of the Chinese fishermen in Santa Barbara was unclear. Then I found two references that led me to believe that there were at least two distinctive classifications in the Chinese fishing industry: indepen dent fishermen and merchants.

The first reference regarding indepen dent fishermen comes from a classic work entitled A History ofthe Chinese in Califor nia:A Syllabus: In Los Angeles County the Chinesefished the Channel Islands and controlled one-third of this trade. In Santa Barbara County a schooner took Chinese fishermen to the vari ous islands, receiving the abalone shells to pay for the transportation, while the Chinese retained thefleshfor their own profit.^^

It is possible that this quote refers to the Rogers brothers. Eugene. Alvah, and H. A., capitalists in Santa Barbara. It ap pears that Euroamericans in Santa Barbara became involved in the abalone shell trade in the mid-1870s, as was also true in San Diego. In 1875, the Rogers brothers "had fifteen to twenty Chinamen employed in prying the abalones off the rocks at the is lands."16 Furthermore, according to Catherine Rogers Goodfield, descendant of the Rogers' family, the Chinese who har vested abalone for the brothers received abalone meat, while the Rogers desired the shells.17 The following articles described the Rogers'enterprise: The schooner Convoy, has gone out to Saint Nicolas island with a party ofChinese fishermenA^ Parties of Chinese fishermen were on the various Channel Islands most of the year.

Messers. Rogers and Bros, of this city sent out todayfor San Miguel, a party offive men for abalone, seal skins and oil. The number of abalone to be obtained by such a party is im possible to estimate. Low tide being the only time when they can be gathered and the lower the tide, the more are exposed to view.^^ I learned of the second classification upon a visit to the Chinese exhibit at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. As I studied the beautiful gilded Chinese shrine, I noticed a newspaper article that de scribed the origin of the relic.

The Chinese celebration in dedication of their new altar went ojf with a Fourth-ofJuly bang yesterday .. . The altar is a gift to the joss house from the boys ofthe Sin Lung [sic) Company, whose headquarters are in the store next to the opera house;the boys are nearly all engaged in abalonefishingN This was a stunning discovery. I sud denly learned that Chinese merchantcontractors were involved in the fishing industry. Upon further research of shrimp

CHINESE FISHERMEN

85

camps in the Bay Area. I found chat the organization of these fishing companies varied and reflected four organizational patterns: the owner-operator, the ownerlessor. the lessee-operator, and the owneremployer. These were probably all part nerships, The definition of ownership was based on the assets of the company such as camp structures, vessels and gear, and processing equipment. Since the land was leased, the camp property was not consid ered an asset.

The owner-operator was perhaps the most common pattern in the early shrimp fishery. In this organization the number of men required to perform the job formed a partnership. They found a fishing area, built the camp and vessels, obtained the gear, and began their fishing and process ing activities. The structure of this part nership could vary based on capital equip ment. One partner may own the vessel, while other partners could own the capital materials. Giving the owner of the vessel a share would split profits, and then expens es would be deducted. The remainder would be split equally between the rest of the partners.

Around the turn of the century the most common patterns were the ownerlessor and lessee-operator patterns. These two forms worked together. Companies in Chinatown owned the camps and vessels, which were basically marketing enterpris es. The fishing rights were leased to a

partnership, which became the lesseeoperator. The entire catch would be sold to the owner at a fixed price. Under this lease agreement the partners worked on shares. In the final organization, the own er-employer pattern, the owner would find the crews and pay wages.21 Evidence suggests that in Santa Bar bara the owner-lessor and lessee-operator forms were in place. The organization of Sing Chung and Company, a business in Santa Barbara's Chinese community, was perhaps typical.

She [a junk] carriesfromfive to seven men while she is engaged in actual hunting and fishing, and is the property ofone ofour Chinese merchants.^^ Sing Chung,a prospennis merchant here, . . . had a number of men and boats fishing and gathering abalone shells and "sea moss es"from San Diego to our islands.^^ It appears that Chinese settlers arrived in the United States knowing how to har vest and prepare abalone. Sandy Lydon. through his extensive work with the Chi nese of Monterey, suggests many, if not all, of California’s Chinese fishermen ob tained their skills in China. He learned that men who decided to migrate to the United States were given instruction in a skill. For example, if they came from a fishing area, they were trained to fish.24 Further evidence of this can be found upon analysis of the 1880 census data from Point San Pedro, a shrimp fishing area.

Herbert A. Rogers and his brothers were involved in the local Chinesefishing industry. This view was takenfirm State Street looking towards East Canon Perdido Street.

H.A.ROGERS iCOHMISSlOH MIRCHART . | <D«ltinitTS.tE IS HOIEttK'-

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The census reveals that the residents of

have sentfor exhibition at the State Fairsev-

Point San Pedro emigrated from the areas of Guangdong province where shrimp fishing was a common livelihood.25 Initial evidence suggests chat at least three Chinese merchanc/labor contractors in Santa Barbara controlled the abalone

erai specimens of the dried meat, and some handsomely polished abalone shells.^^ The Sun Lung Company does not ap pear on the 1880 census, however, ic does appear on the partnership list of 1894. Ac cording to the list there were five part ners, and each partner invested $1200; the value of the stock was $300. These five

harvesting and fishing activities on and around the northern Channel Islands be tween 1864 and 1913.26 The names of the three Chinese merchanc/labor contractors were the Sing Hop Company, the Sun Lung Company, and Sing Chung and Company. They were all located on East Canon Perdido Street. The Sing Hop Company appears as a merchant in the 1894 partnership list. Sing Chung and Company and Sun Lung Company appear on the 1894 map occupying the Elizalde adobe at 47 and 45 East Canon Perdido Street, respectively.

There is little information regarding the Sing Hop Company in newspaper sources. In the manuscript census of 1880 the head of the company referred to him self as Sing Hop, He was thirty-five years old. single, and listed his occupation as a merchant. He had three men living with him: Ah Wye, forty-two years old. who was a partner in the business; Ah Wah. twenty-five years old. a cook; and Ah Jau, twenty-six years old, a servant. Accord ing to immigration files, the Sing Hop Company was organized in approximate ly 1877 and remained in business for many years. It was listed in the Santa Bar bara city directories as a grocery store un til 1947. 27 The following is the only newspaper coverage of the Sing Hop Company: A new Santa Barbara industry is the drying ofabalone meatfor shipment to San Fran cisco and export to China, where the natives regard it as a delicacy. Sing Chung and Sing Hop, two merchants engaged in the trade

$1200 investments were the second high est found on the 1894 partnership list.

The Sun Lung Company continued doing business as an abalone dealer until at least 1913.29 It is unknown if they were dealing in shells and/or meat. Members of the Sun Lung Company were apparently in associ ation with Chee Kung Tong; they con tributed to the purchase and transport of the shrine from Guangdong province.

Most of the information regarding Chinese fishing activities in Santa Barbara relates to Sing Chung and Company. It is unknown when this company started business in Santa Barbara. As of the 1880 census, Sing Chung (written Chung Sing) was listed as a merchant and doing busi ness in Chinatown. In many cases Euroamericans referred to Chinese merchants by their store name. Therefore, this was probably not the name of the proprietor of Sing Chung and Company. His name is still unknown, and as of this writing, im migration files and photographs have not been found on "Sing Chung.”

According to the 1880 census, Sing Chung was thirty-five years old and un married. According to immigration data, his store remained on East Canon Perdido Street until 1898.30 An immigration file from 1898 has recently been found where Sing Chung was described by C.A. Storke, District Attorney at the time.

1 have knoivn him for fifteen and more years. He is a prominent Chinese merchant in the city of Santa Barbara, and has been

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largely interested in speculation in Santa Barbara, he has rented lands, farmed large areas through his agents and has conducted bmsiness in a wholesale manner. He is consid ered goodfor all that he contracts. He is con sidered one of the most reliable Chinese resi dents in the city ofSanta Barbara.^^ Further evidence of Storke's statement can be found when in 1890 Sing Chung leased land from Kate M. Bell at the Dos Pueblos Ranch in the Goleta Valley. One of his neighbors was Alex More, the own-

were well documenced in local newspa pers, He apparently was part of a trade network in Santa Barbara that shipped marine goods to China through San Fran cisco. Evidence of this industry was seen in May of 1884 when Sing Chung shipped two hundred sacks of dried abalone to San Francisco. Each bag weighed two hundred to three hundred pounds.

Sing Chung and Co. have a number of men constantly employed in hunting,fishing and gathering shells in and around the sever-

The EUzalde adobe, at the southwest comer ofEast Canon Perdido and Anacapa streets, housed a number ofChinese merchant companies involved in the abalone trade.

er of Santa Rosa Island.32 No record has been found of Sing Chung after 1898.

According to tax records in 1881, Sing Chung and Company had merchan dise valued at one thousand dollars, and he had two hundred cords of wood valued at six hundred dollars. The total value of his property was sixteen hundred dollars. TTie cords of wood could have been shipped to the islands for fuel to boil abalone. Two accounts support this premise. A ship cap tain in San Diego kept Chinese abalone gatherers on Cedros Island, off of Baja California, supplied with firewood, and Chinese shrimp fishermen in China Camp, in Marin County, were supplied with nine hundred cords of wood per season.33 TTie abalone harvesting and fishing practices of Sing Chung and Company

al islands that are within afew hours sail of Santa Barbara. They oum their oivn boats, and in fact everything that pertains to the business in which they pursue. Their Chinese junJis are commanded by Adongolians, who have been brought up on their own water, and can reef and furl with true American style. As a rule they are not successful navi gators, as they lacb the courage and fore thought ofothernationalities.^^ The worh offishing is systematically ar ranged, each man allotted a certain hind of worh,to perform, and by their long experience become inured to it. His craft carry men who are experts with the rifle, as they frequently come in contact with large game, such as whale,otter etc.^^ Sing Chung and Company’s attempt to put a fish processing facility on the

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beach in Santa Barbara was met with pub lic opposition.

ing who says he will tal{e steps to see that the nuisance is abated.^'^

Should Be Banoved

No other mention of the Sing Chung and Company fish processing operation was found in the local newspapers after this date.

Sing Chung, a Chinese fish merchant of our city, has rented an oldframe buildingjust west ofFred’s bath house and has commenced the worh^ of curing fish, preparatory to shipping it to the San Francisco market. Sev eral large cauldrons in the interiorfilled with brine together withforty tons ofdryingfish in the open air, produces a smell that should never be permitted in a civilized community. It is impossible to visit the beach without inhal ing this unpleasant smell, which must be mortifying to our city authorities indeed. It should be removed, and that immediately. As Santa Barbara prides herself on the waterfront it will not be polluted with this dreadful,sicken ing effluvia that is liable to breed diseases.

The reporter ofthis paper had a conversation with the Health Officer ofour city this mom-

Further accounts of Sing Chung’s fish ing activities are found in local newspa pers: A New Industry Some ofour merchants are doing a "land office" business in disposing of their old dry goods boxes to Sing Chung, who oivns and contracts six Chinese fishing craft. Emerson and Co. sold 8o odd boxes, the I.X.L. as many more, and the same may be said ofsev eral other businessfirms. They are to be used in shipping fish to China. The reporter ofthe Independent, in an interview with Sing Chung, who has amassed a small fortune owing to his business qualifications, says he

A Chinesefishing crew in action along the California coast,fiobert A.Nash Collection, Chinese Historical Society ofSouthern California.

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IS about to make a. large shipment offish, caught in Santa Barbara Channel to China.

On one of his fishing boats anchored in our harbor, he has lo tons and over offish, all dried and cured, readyfor the market. Thefish market, like every other commodity ofproduction, fluctuates, the wholesale price in San Francisco rangesfrom one to one and a half cents per pound. The fish this Chinese mer chant handles in the course of a season amounts to thousands ofdollars, and the prof its realizedfrom this source ofrevenue are im mense. While his expenses in conducting his business are not quite as great as some might assume, yet, not a day passes but what some ofhis boats are endangered while engaged in fishing, and moreover he has lost vessels being engulfed in waves during a storm, and in an instance ofthis l^nd it knocks the profits offof several days work The work offishing is systematically arranged, each man allotted a certain kind ofwork to perform, and by their long experience become inured to it. His craft carry men who are experts with the rifle, as

they frequently come in contact with large game,such as whale,otter etc.

The packing offish will be inaugurated in a day or two,and selecting his best craft will be forwarded to San Francisco, and from there it goes to China.^^ It is clear the Sing Chung and Compa ny owned fishing crafts, and these vessels were used to travel to the Channel Islands and as far south as Baja California.

The Chinese Junks and Sampans oF CaliFornia As I started working with the litera ture concerning junks it became clear that experts on the subject, such as Robert A. Nash and Sandy Lydon, were knowledge able on junks built in the Bay Area and the San Diego area. Yet they did not know that Chinese junks and sampans were built in Santa Barbara. Therefore most of the Santa Barbara data has not been published before.

The information is still developing, and my ultimate quest is to locate a pho tograph of a junk in Santa Barbara’s har bor. I have several images of junks in San Diego; alas, the Santa Barbara photograph remains elusive.

Junks and sampans were built in Cali fornia by Chinese shipbuilders in San Die go, Roseville, Hunters Point, San Mateo, San Pablo, Point San Pedro, San Francis co, San .Bruno, and Santa Barbara, These vessels were built where they were needed and used by the local fishing industry.

There are five features that may be ob served to identify a nineteenth-century Chinese watercraft:

Junks similar to the Quock See Wo,out ofSan Francisco,were constructed in Santa Barbara.

Pphert A.Nash Collection, Chinese Historical Society ofSouthern California.

90

NOTICIAS 1. Solid bulkheads divide the craft into

at least three compartments.

2. The edge-fastenings of the planking were black-iron nails set in nailing recess es. usually pyramidal in shape, and the re cesses were filled with wood or chunam [lime, hemp and wood oil made into a clay-like paste]. The nails might be either square or round. If round, the craft was built after wire nail machinery was availa ble in California.

3. The frames were in three or more separate and unattached parts and were fastened to the planking only, Although the ends of the frame parts might overlap, there was usually no attempt made to fas ten them together and the parts might have some space between them—visible proof that the shape of the craft had been determined by the planking and not by the framework.

4. TTere would be a residue of clay like daubing, chunam, on the inside of plank edges and other seams intended to be made watertight.

5. The material used in hull construc tion was. perhaps invariably, rough-cut and unpainted redwood.^9 In addition to the junk built in 1872, the launching of another Chinese vessel was reported in 1876 as far away as Los Angeles; The Chinese boat'builders yesterday af ternoon launched their new boat in the ocean.

They conveyed it derwn to the beachfrom the boat yard on rollers, and a large crowd of spectators were present to witness the work,'^'^ A smaller vessel was built on the beach

The average length of a sampan was twenty-one feet.

It is possible that some of the abovementioned vessels belonged to Sing Chung and Company. According to newspaper accounts Sing Chung and Company owned six Chinese junks by 1885. Note the struggle the newspaper had in render ing the Chinese characters.

The Chinesejunk. Ill + unable to call it)is moored along side Steams whayf this morning discharging her cargo offish, amounting to twenty tons. They are in large tanks covered with brine in the hold ofthe ves sel, the variety is kjiown as the redfish. They weighfrom one to twenty pounds and are the first oftwo months’work- The ||| + @ carries six hardy Chinese seamen, and is the proper ty ofSing Chung."^^ Sing Chung and Company must have used his own junks to transport the dried fish to San Francisco.

The packing offish will be inaugurated in a day or two, and selecting his best craft will be forwarded to San Francisco, and from there it goes to China."^^ A detailed account of a Chinese junk was published in the Daily Independent in 1885: A MISCONCEPTION.AS THE SAILINQ qUALITIES OF CHINESEJVNKS Yesterday, the reporter ofthis paper, in com pany with contractor Mix,and others visited the Chinesejunk, f^tiil lool^ng vessel that is moored in our harbor...

in 1885; "Chinese carpenters are at work on a two-ton boat in the rear of Freds'

A sunburned Chinaman, wearing loose pants made out ofcanvas duck, hatless, un bleached cotton shirt, unbuttoned down the

bath house.” Based on the tonnage of this ship, it was probably a sampan.'ll The dis tinction between the junk and the sampan is that the sampan was a smaller craft, constructed without decks, masts, or sails.

front, greeted us upon the arrival ofour boat, and in pigeon English extended our crowd a hearty welcome, and assisted us over the bul warks ofthe vessel. He afterward proved to be the captain. On boarding her we immediately

91

CHINESE FISHERMEN

commenced to make a tour ofinspection, assisted by the master, who kindly imparted what information we desired. The boat was built and manned by Chinamen,andfrom her mastfloats the emblem oftheir country, which ajfords a striking contrast with the hull ofthe boat, which is painted black.

[W]efound a man at work,netting seines and nets which they use in their business. The meshes were not quite an inch square, and the work,was systematically performed.

We should say not,for the one in our harbor now is decidedly top-heavy,for on her decks are piled bags of sand for ballast. This weight should be 05 near the keel as possible, for her chances for capsizing would be lessened. She also carries for the convenience of hunters three small boats.^^ In keeping with this article, the local paper reported that "one of the hunters on the Chinese Junk had the misfortune to shoot himself, the ball entering the

Sampans were also built in Santa Barbara. This specimen wasfound by Fpbert Nash in Marin County, California. Robert A.Nash Collection, Chinese Historical Society ofSouthern California.

The crew seemed pleased at our coming aboard, and showed their appreciation by treating us to brandy, cigars and tea. They carry no nautical instruments, not even a compass,and their navigation is done entirely by landmarks, as they seldom go out ofsight of land. When darkjiess overtak.es them, they let go their anchor and thus remain stationary till day break.....A portion ofthe boat yester day was covered overhead by canvas, and men were busily engaged in catching fish, mackerel predominating One of the prevailing misconceptions re garding these "tubs”so to speak, is that they cannot sail. This is a mistake,for in some in stances they have out rivaled American ves sels, notwithstanding their cumbersome ap pearance and ungainly shape. Are they safe?

arm at the elbow and coming out at the shoulder."45 There are newspapers and magazine accounts that describe various junks that met with mishap in the Santa Barbara and Channel Island areas. A Chinese ves sel was wrecked on Santa Rosa Island in 1875 or 1877. A lone survivor was found half-starved by the owner of the island on a remote beach. He went to work at the ranch and was employed there for many 46 years.

Another article suggests that a vessel belonging to Sing Chung and Company wrecked in 1884; It has not been quite a year ago that a junk in the vicinity ofAnacapa Island was allowed to run a reefand sunk, ^he party be-

NOTICIAS

92

ing rescued by the sloop- Ocean King. The business is rapidly growing and is destined at no distant day to be one ofsome magnitude.'^'^ The above mentioned junk wrecked in 1884, and it is unclear if the wreck oc curred at San Nicolas or Anacapa Island.

The ship was thirty-five tons register, and was built for the purpose of fishing, hunt ing. and gathering abalone on and around the Channel Islands. The vessel was an chored near the island when a gale sprang up and the ship drifted upon a reef and struck a rock. Tlie ship was a total loss.

Fortunately a ship saved the crew of the junk, which consisted of eight men from Santa Barbara.48 One of Sing Chung’s vessels went adrift from its anchorage, and floated to Ventura in 1891. On December 21. 1891. the Ventura Deputy Collector of Cus toms, Steven Bowers, wrote a letter to his supervisor describing the junk; Dear Sir: 1 have to report that a Chinese Junk of about lo tons burden came ashore here yesterday evening. She was dragging a small anchor, but no one was aboard. The boat was empty and the sails werefurled. She contained thefigure 6iz but no name. Is such a boat registered in San Pedro? 49 It appears that this was a very large junk, considering chat the average gross tonnage, of the known junks of California, was 13.06 cons.50 The final disposition of the junks of Santa Barbara is not recorded. United States Customs officials who were convinced chat thejunks were smuggling undocumented la borers into the country may have seized some of the vessels.51 The following article tends CO confirm this suspicion; During the past weekgovemment officers have been in Ventura secretly at work in an attempt to capture parties who are suspected of smuggling Chinese into the country. Re ports are persistent that Chinese are being

landed on the Channel Islands, and then landed from small boats on the mainland be tween Ventura and Santa Barbara. The reports were the cause ofthe cruise ofthe Reve nue Cutter Manning in the Channel Islands recently.^^ It is also possible chat some junks were sold to Euroamericans. In the 1890s the junks of San Diego and the Bay Area were sold to Euroamericans for the seal and guano trade.53

rhe Chinese pisbins Tndustrg The information regarding Chinese ab alone fishermen is contained in United States Fish and Fisheries Reports chat date back as far as 1879 for Santa Barba ra. Further information can be found in California Fish and Game publications.

These journals are not used frequently, so I found myself searching and reading aba lone data from brittle pages in dark and musty basements of libraries in the greater Los Angeles area. By piecing the data to gether, the history of the Chinese abalone industry, processing, and marketing pro cesses came to light.

The earliest recorded abalone fishing camp was established in 1853 at Monte rey.54 Chinese fishing activities expanded, and by the 1870s fishing villages could be found from the Oregon border to Baja California, as well as along the Sacramen to River Delta. The primary fishing cen ters were San Francisco, Monterey and San Diego, with smaller fishing villages scattered along the California coast. One such company of Chinese fishermen es tablished operations in Los Angeles in 1860.55 In the last century, at the height of the commercial fishing industry. Chi nese comprised one-third of the fishery workers in California.56

93

CHINESE HSHERMEN

In the nineteenth century the three ma jor Chinese fishing centers in California specialized in the following commodities; San Francisco offered the shrimp fisheries; Monterey offered the squid and market fisheries (abalone was gathered until mid 1860s); San Diego was primarily con cerned with abalone and market fisher ies.57 The marine resources from these centers were sold fresh locally. By approx imately 1864, Chinese fishermen estab lished markets and marketing networks to sell abalone meat locally and export the surplus to China, because dried abalone was considered a delicacy in China.58 Fishing on and around the Channel Is lands began when fishermen from San Diego expanded their abalone operations.

Camps were established on San Miguel.

Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa. San Nicolas.

Santa Catalina, and Santa Barbara islands,

Miguel and San Clemente islands. He also wrote that a Chinese merchant at Santa Barbara forwarded dried abalone meat to other Chinese in San Francisco, thereby fulfilling the needs of the local Chinese residents. The surplus was exported to China and the Sandwich Islands. In 1904 five Chinese fishermen were on Santa Cruz Island and two on Santa Rosa Is land.6i When the early Chinese settlers combed the rocky shores of the Pacific Ocean they had truly found their gold.

The abalone could be obtained on foot by gathering along the tide line, or rowing among the rocks just off shore in a sam-

BELOW:V.S. Coast and Qeodetic Survey map ofSanta Rosa Island, 1882.Locations ofJohnsons Lee, China Camp(Cluster Point), and Sandy Point added by author.

as well as Baja California.59 Archival sources pertaining to the camps can be found in federal fishery reports. In the early 1880s David Jordon, writing for the U.S. Commis sion of Fish and Fisheries, claimed that there were twen ty-five Chinese fishermen en gaged in fishing in Santa Bar bara County. Ernest Ingersol. writing for the U.S. Commis sion of Fish and Fisheries in 1881 and 1882. states that there was a colony of Chinese fishermen on Santa Cruz Island and another on San ta Rosa Island. During this period the Chi nese were taking abalone and algae.60 By the end of 1893, three camps of Chinese fishermen could be found on San ta Cruz and Santa Rosa islands. In the year ending 1896 William Wilcox wrote that there were four camps on the islands, one each on Santa Rosa. Santa Cruz. San

pan. The abalone gatherer would examine the submerged rocks and crevices for aba lone. A trowel, spade or long pole with a wedge tip was used to pry the abalone from the rocks. A gaff was used to recov er the abalone.

The processing of the abalone was per formed on shore.

After filling a large bag with the meat, which is removedfrom the shell, it is carried to

94

the place chosen to dry it, and is there treated in the same manner that a tough beefsteak,is in afirst-class boarding house—that is, it re ceives good pounding. After this beating, the meat is throum into a large kettle and boiled for a short time;then is spread out to dry in the sun.62 Cooking hearths have been found on San Clemente and San Nicolas islands.

The following, is a description of the hearths found on San Clemente Island; Cooking hearths at the Chinese abalone camps typically had the same shape,approxi mate siz^ and orientation, but did vary in di mensions depending on the individual who originally constructed the hearth and availa bility ofsuitable stone. No two hearths were exactly the same but all were junctional as cooking hearths.^^ It was important to dry the meat at the gathering site. The drying process could take up to six weeks, depending on the weather.64 By drying the meat, the bulk was reduced and drying the meat pre vented spoilage. Six tons of living abalone would yield one ton of meat.65 Once the abalone was dried, the meat would be placed in a vessel until a junk load was ob tained. The average junk could hold ap proximately seven to fifteen tons.66 From the nearest port the load was shipped to San Francisco for marketing.

After a thorough drying, it is nicely packed in strong sacks and shipped to San Diego, to be reshipped from here to the Chi nese merchants in San Francisco. The meat commands in that city from five to six cents per pound, and is used exclusively by the Chinese. A considerable quantity is shipped to China, where it is regarded as a great lux ury, being only used by the better class ofpeo ple in that country.

It was difficult for Euroamericans to understand the value of abalone to the Chinese.

NOTICIAS ABALONES A Peculiar Article ofCommerce ofSouthern California An Odd Source ofWealth and a Qreat Chinese Delicacy Abalone Business This is carried on more or less all along the sea shore ofthe semi-tropic, but at this place on the islands ofthe Channel the occupation is conducted, though quietly, upon a larger scale than any other locality farther south.

The abalone is a greater success than the egg in point ofnatural economy, in that the shell also is materially valuable. .. The peculiar charm that this dried meat hasfor the Celes tial palate is not apparent to the Barbarian tooth. The Independent reporter found it much resembling in consistency, color and odor a piece of veteran sole leather. The total shipment ofthe articlefrom the vicinity,...[is] in the neighborhood offorty tons yearly ... It would seem that the practical mind of the American should be able tofind some manner ofpreparing this healthful article offood in a manner acceptable to the taste ofwhite men.

Solid meat that can be held in plentiful quan tities in our immediate neighborhood for less thanfive cents a pound is too valuable a con sideration to be lightly set aside. But while a

Platform made ofhatch coversfrom the wreck of the Goldenhorn. Did Chinesefishermen con struct this makeshift campsite F Photograph by author.

95

CHINESE FISHERMEN

full benefit . . . is surely not realized by the community fivm this product, many citizens ofthe city are deriving profitfivm this indus try one way and another and it is a matter of sufficient importance to be credited to Santa Barbaras list ofinteresting and remunerative enterprises.^^ In the early 1920s Euroamericans final ly developed a caste for the mollusk. They discovered ways to prepare the meat of the abalone by pounding it, breading it, and cooking it like a steak.

For many years the Chinese of Califor nia used only the meat of the abalone.

Then around the 1870s the shell became

land at Bechers Bay. and ranching began on the island in the mid-1800s.70 During the period of the Chinese aba lone industry, the More family owned Santa Rosa Island from 1861 to 1902. No evidence of a formal land lease agreement has been found between Chinese fisher men and the More family. The only evi dence of Chinese interaction was a recol lection by a daughter that a "stream of Chinese and Mexicans . . . came to our back door in Santa Barbara seeking my Grandfather. John M. More, to be hired for another season of sheep shearing on the island. The Chinamen would come

popular, and the abalone came into great demand. Euroamericans became involved

bearing gifts of abalone pearls.”^!

In 1902 the Vail and Vickers families

in the shell trade, and by 1879 the value of the shell was double chat of the meat. The

bought the island. In 1913 they leased the abalone fishery to Chinese crews.72 The size and the boundaries of the leased area

price for shells continued to rise, and by 1888 meat was valued at five cents per pound, while the shells were worth twelve cents per pound.69 Tons of shells were shipped to San Francisco in the final quarter of the nine teenth century. A percentage of the shells were retained in San Francisco and made into hair combs. From San Francisco the remainder of the shells were sent to China, Europe, and the eastern states. In China the shells would be broken and used for lacquer work. In Europe and the east they were manufactured into buttons, jewelry, mantle ornaments, soap holders, card cas es, flower vases, and various curios.

Santa Kpsa TsLand Santa Rosa Island is located thirty miles off the coast of Santa Barbara and is the second largest of the Channel Islands. The island has been privately owned since the Mexican governor Micheltorena granted it to Jose Antonio and Carlos Carrillo in 1843. A ranch house was built on the is-

are unknown. It is probable that this lease was given to the Sun Lung Company, the only local company known to still be en gaged in abalone harvesting.

Description oF Abalone Camps Piles of abalone shells have been found scattered all along the south side of Santa Rosa Island, where three abalone camps have been located. The first site is just west of Johnsons Lee, on a low-lying ter race backed by steep slopes and canyons, Chinese stoneware food jars, amorphous metal, bottle glass, and opium smoking paraphernalia have been found suggesting that this was a campsite. This particular location has two of the best anchorages on the island, providing protection during the summer months from the prevailing west to northwest winds.

The second site is located at the south west promontory of the island, just east of Sandy Point. Here stoneware jars, por celain. bottle glass, and cartridge casings

96

NOTICIAS

have been found. The third site is Cluster Point where Chinese ceramics and camp debris have been found. Both the second and the third sites are situated on compar able low-lying terraces with steep bluffs and canyons rising north to the island's in terior. All three of these sites have flat rocky areas that could be used for the dry ing of abalone meat.

S'

The Wreck oP the Goldenhorn

The event that was instrumental in stimulating interest in Chinese sites on Santa Rosa Island was the wreck of the Qoldenhom. In 1892 this British fourmasted bark wrecked on offshore rocks along the southwest coast of Santa Rosa Island. It was traveling from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, to San Pe dro, California, with coal to be used by the Southern Pacific Railroad.

The u/reck.scatter ofthe Goldenhorn lies in relatively shallow water offthe south coast ofSanta Rosa Island...[ajdditional materi alfrom the Goldenhorn has turned up along the nearby shore ...[a]prominent stockpile of coal perches on a coastal terrace i kilometer southeast ofthe main wrecks scatter... This stockpile lies close to black,abalone shell mid dens and two other stockpiles of lumber, all suggestive of Chinese-American abalone fishing activity ... It would have been a very simple matter to grab the new fuel source represented by t/ie Goldenhorn's cargoJ^ Approximately one mile inland, up a stream bank, an unusual structure could

propriaced drifc wreckage from the Qoldenhom and used 'it for fuel and shelter.

Who were these people?

The CxcQuation In July of 1995 an excavation was per formed at the hatch cover site. Here Don Morris, the National Park Service archae ologist for the Channel Islands, hoped to find the remains of a Chinese abalone camp. A team of twelve volunteer archae ologists performed the work on Santa Rosa Island. The covers were carefully mapped, photographed, and lifted. Exca vation of the area underneath the covers was performed. It was our hope that cul tural remains may have fallen through the cracks and would help us to identify the people who camped at the site one hun dred years ago.

Unfortunately, no cultural remains were unearthed at this excavation that could definitely pin down the identity or ethnicity of the occupants. However, sheep bones were found. Sheep grazed on this side of the island. A contemporary newspaper account suggests that Chinese were involved in poaching sheep; The schooner Star of Freedom left for Santa Cruz Island yesterday with several Chinamen who had been broughtfrom the island charged with sheep stealing/^ Local newspaper accounts place Chi nese fishermen on Santa Rosa Island five weeks after the wreck.

be found. It is a platform made of hatch covers, and it probably supported a tent.

When the timber from the hatch covers

The schooner Santa Rosa lefi for Santa Rosa Island, with a crew of Chinamen who have been engaged in securing a cargo ofab alone shells/^

and the lift rigs were compared with those found in Qoldenhom lumber piles along the shore, they were found to be identical. Apparently people camped on the island at the time of the wreck, ap¬

If Chinese fishermen were not present when the wreck occurred, then they ar rived shortly afterward, when materials from the Qo/den/iom were accessible.

A survey was performed at Johnsons

CHINESE FISHERMEN

Lee during this expedition. The campsite is set in an area partly enclosed by an em bankment that would provide some pro tection from the west to northwest wind.

Chinese ceramics, porcelain, amorphous metal, and opium smoking paraphernalia were found at this location.

There is a structure nearby, west of South Point in a rocky area. It is approxi mately fifty feet from the water. It is con structed of dry masonry work, with a doorway that opens to the east. This structure resembles others found on San Nicolas Island, but no cultural remains or archival data have been found to associate it with Chinese occupation. Yet, according to oral history, abalone collectors would build their own little shacks.76

Conclusions Santa Barbara's Chinese community was established around 1865. It was virtu ally self sufficient by providing goods and services to its residents.

Chinese settlers main

97

1877, while the Sing Chung and Compa ny began operations before the caking of the 1880 census. The Sun Lung Company began operations between 1880 and 1894 and continued in the abalone industry un til at least 1913, According to contempo rary maps. Sing Chung and Company and the Sun Lung Company were both mer chant-contractors.

Chinese junks and sampans, built in their own distinctive styles, were created in Santa Barbara and used to sail the Pa cific coast in search of valuable marine products. The presence and description of these ships were unknown to experts in the field. The knowledge of their existence in Santa Barbara enhances the literature on California-built junks and sampans.

Research in Chinese fishing activities in California is very important to Chinese Debrisfixnn the shipzvrecked Goldcnhorn on the shore ofSanta Rpsa Island. For decades the ship zvasforgotten until rediscovered in igjo.Photo graph by author.

tained traditional practic es, such as district and clan associations, which were integral to business relations.

Chinese fishermen made a significant contri bution to the commercial fishing industry, T*hey began fishing and har vesting abalone from Santa Barbara around 1864. There were two classifications of fisher men: independents and merchantcontractors. At least three companies, headed by Chinese merchants, were en gaged in the fishing industry. The Sing Hop Company was established around

American studies. By combining archival and archeological materials, a more com plete picture of the Chinese fishing indus try and a way of life not reported on in print would be attained. TTie ingenuity

98

NOTICIAS

and success of these Chinese fishermen help CO illuminate the historic image of the struggling Chinese immigrant. These Chi nese fishermen provide a fascinating pic ture of organization, hard work, and ac complishment. They recognized a valuable resource and applied their entrepreneurial spirit and traditional skills. Lastly, the Chinese fishing pioneers established a commercial fishing tradition which is still considered valuable a hundred years later.

notes 1 Santa Barbara Index. 26 Oczohct IS72.

2 Sucheng Chan, This Bitter-Sweet Soil The Chinese in California Agriculture 1860-1910 (Berkeley: Universi ty of California Press, 1986), 17.

3 Ronald Takaki. Stranger From A Different Shore,(New York: Penguin Books, 1989), 32.

4 Ibid.. 119.

5 Lynn C, Kronzek and Roberta S. Greenwood, Dmvn By The Station Los Angeles Chinatmvn 1880-1933, ^^onumenta Archacologicia 18(Los Angeles: University of California. Institute of Archaeology, 1996), 21.

6 For more information regarding Chinese organizations see L. Eve Armentrout Ma, "Chinatown Organiza tions," in Entry Denied Exclusion and the Chinese Community in America, 1882-1943(Philadelphia: Tem ple University Press, 1991), 148.

7 Takaki. 127-128.

8 Chan. 344.

9 Ibid.. 292.

10 Richard Piedmontc, "The Chinese Presidio Communi ty,’’ in Santa Barbara Presidio Area 1840 to the Present ( Santa Barbara, University of California. Santa Bar bara Public Historical Studies, and Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, 1983). 119.

11 Santa Barbara County Deed Book E: 499.

12 For more information regarding traditional customs in Chinese communities. see.Roberta S. Greenwood.

Doum By The Station Los Angeles Chinatown 18801933, 142 and Robert A. Nash,"The Chinese Shrimp Fishery in California"(Ph.D. diss.. University of Cali fornia. Los Angeles, 1973). 44.

13 Gambling was found in many Chinatowns in the Unit ed States. This practice was brought over from China and used as recreation. It could also provide an imme diate means of goal achievement. For example, a Chi nese settler may believe that an evening’s winnings could fulfill his goal of returning to China as a wealthy man. Since gambling was a practice already present within the Chinese culture, there was nothing "wrong" with the activity. Opium smoking was used for recreational purposes. For Chinese settlers opium smoking was influenced by opium use and marketing in China. For these men it was not necessarily a vice, because there were positive social, physical, and psy-

choiogical benefits. It was used for relaxation, coping with cmocional stress, enhancing work performance, and medication. The topics of gambling and opium use among Chinese argonauts are tainted by negative connotations among Anglos. These practices were considered immoral and unethical in Victorian socie ty. For more information regarding Chinese opium smoking see Jerry Wylie and Richard E. Fikc, "Chi nese Opium Smoking Techniques and Paraphernalia,” in Hidden Heritage Historical Archaeology ofthe Over seas Chinese {Amityvillc, Baywood Publishing, Inc.1993), 30Q. Also Chinese Exclusion Acts Case Files, 1894-1965, Record Group 85, Partnership List and Map of Santa Barbara 1892, National ArchivesPacific Sierra Region, San Bruno, California.

14 Ivan Light. Business and Welfare among Chinese,Japa nese, and Blacks (Berkeley: University of California Press. 1972). 93.

15 Thomas W., Chinn. H. Mark Lai, and Phillip P. Choy, ed. A History ofthe Chinese in Calijomia: A Syl labus (San Francisco: Chinese Historical Society of America, 1969), 40.

16 Joan A. Canby with Stella Haverland Rouse, eds..

"The Memoir of Eugene F. Rogers." A'otidiis 26, no.

3(Fall 1980):47.

17 Catherine Rogers Goodfield, interview with author. 3 July 1997.

18 Daily lndependent{Sanu Barbara)8 October 1883.

19 Daily Independent(Santa Barbara) 27 October 1883.

20 Morning Press(Santa Barbara) 4 October 1898.

2lNa.sh. 158.

22 Daily Independent(Santa Barbara) 22 June 1885.

23 "Olden Days," Santa Barbara News Press. 30 Novem ber 1975, 24 Sandy Lydon, e-mail communication with author, 15 April 1998.

25 Nash, 186, 26 Rochelle Bookspan, ed., Santa Barbara by the Sea(San ta Barbara: McNally & Loftin, West, 1982), 118.

27 For information regarding the Sing Hop, sec immigra tion file of Jung Hing 1913, National Archives. Pacif ic Southwest Region, Laguna Niguel, California. Chi nese Exclusion Acts Case Files, 1894-1965. Record Group 85.

28 "In Old Santa Barbara- 100 Years Ago" Santa Barbara Neivs-Press 31 August 1985.

29 Wong Kin. ed.. International Business Directory of the World for the Year (San Francisco: Internationa!

Chinese Business Directory Company, Inc.), n.p.

30 Immigration file of Gin Loy 1901, Record Group 85.

31 Immigration file of Ye Yin Li 1898, Record Group 85.

32 Santa Barbara County Land Lease Records Book C. 541.

33 For evidence of Chinese abalonc gatherers on Cedros Island, sec Charles Nordoff, California: For leisure and lifisidence(New York; Harper and Brothers Pub lishers. 1873). 245. For information regarding shrimp fishermen in China Camp, sec Richard Dillion, "Chi na Camp," Cathayin Fldorado.The Chinese in Califor nia (San Francisco: Book of the Month Club, 1972), np34 "Olden Days." Santa Barbara News Press 16 January 1966.

35 Daily /neiependent(Santa Barbara)5 June 1885, 36 Daily Independent(Santa Barbara) 25 June 1885.

27.Daily Independent(Santa Barbara) 16 July 1885.

CHINESE FISHERMEN 38 Daily /ndcpencfent{Sanca Barbara) 25 June 1885.

39 Nash, 254.

40 Lx)s Angeles Daily Evening Press 21 December 1876.

41 Daily Independent(Sanca Barbara) 24 July 1885.

42 Daily lndependenc{S^nta. Barbara) 3 July 1885.

43 Daily[ndependent{SiTiii Barbara) 25 June 1885.

44 Daily Independent(Sanca Barbara) 22 June 1885.

45 Daily Independent(Santa Barbara) 25 June 1885.

46 K, "Shearing Time on Sanca Rosa Island," Overland Monthly vo\ 21. ser. 2,(May 1893):495. The author of this article is known only as "K". Experts believe that the author is possibly Marcinetce Kinsell.

99 Historic Chinese Abalone Collectors on San Clemente Island," 1987. Santa Barbara Historical Society, 2.

Typescript in the files of Santa Barbara Historical So ciety.

64 For evidence of the abalonc drying process, see Charles Lincoln Edwards, "The Abalones of California." in Annual Report ofthe Regents, The Smithsonian Institu tion J913 (Washington. D.C: Government Printing Office. 1914). 8 65 For information regarding dried abalone meat, see Rob ert A. Nash,"The Abalone Fishery." Chinese Histori

47 DcJii))/ndependent(Santa Barbara)5 June 1885.

48 Daily Independent(Santa Barbara) 31 July 1884.

49 Incoming Letters 1891-1892. Record Group 36, Box 6,

cal Society ofAmerica Bidletin 11, no. 6(June 1976): 1.

66 For information regarding junk loads, sec Lundy, 7.

67 The Daily Union (San Diego)5 October 1871.

68 Daily Independent(Santa Barbara) 27 October 1883.

National Archivcs-Padfic Southwest Region, Laguna Niguel. California.

69 Robert A. Nash. "The Chinese Fishing Industry in Baja California"(paper presented at the Baja Califor

50 Robert A. Nash Collection, Chinese Historical Society of Southern California.

nia Svanposium 9, Santa Ana, California, May 1971), 2.

51 L. Eve Armencrout'Ma, "The Chinese in the Califor nia's Fishing Industry, 1850-1941," California History LX, no 2(Summer 1981):148.

52 Ventura Free Press 29 July 1904.

53 Robert A. Nash Collection.

54 Sandy Lydon, Chinese Qold: Ihe Chinese in the Monte rey Bay Region (Capicola: Capitola Book Company, 1985). 32.

55 For more information regarding California-built Chi nese junks see: Thomas W. Chinn, H. Mark Lai, and Philip P. Choy. eds. A History ofthe Chinese in Califor nia:A Syllabus(San Francisco: Chinese Historical So ciety of America, 1969), 37. And Harris Newmark.

Sixty Years in Southern California, ( New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1930). 278.

56 Arthur McEvoy, The Fisherman's Pmblem (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1986), 76.

57 Nash, 21.

70 Kerry Blankenship Allen. "Isla de Los Vaqueros: The Ranching History of Santa Rosa Island. 1843Present." The Ventura County Historical Society QucirteAy40. no. 2(Winter 1995): 7.

71 Perry Austin, "Santa Rosa Island." Noticias 5, no. 3 (Summer 1981): 9.

72 Charles Lincoln Edwards. "The Abalone Industry in California," Fish Bidletin J913. no. 1: 15.

73 Don Morris and James Lima. Channel Islands National Parh and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Submerged Cultural Rfsources Aissessment (Santa Fe: National Park Service. 1996). 28.

74 Morning Press(Sanca Barbara) 8 August 1891.

75 Morning Press(Santa Barbara) 19 October 1892.

76 Howard Louis, interview by the Southern California Chinese American Oral History Project, no. 160, 24 April 1982.

58 J.B. Phillips, Abalonc," Fish Bidletin No. 49. California Division of Fish and Game, 1937, 108.

59 Daily Independent{Sinzi Barbara) 27 October 27 1883.

60 George Brown Goode ct al, The Fisheries and Fishery In dustries of the United States (United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, Washington.

D.C.: Government Print ing Office, 1887). 38. 624.

61 William A. Wilcox, "The Fisheries of the Pacific Coast." in United States i Commission of Fish and I Fisheries. Report of the I Commissionerfor the Year I Ending June 30, iSp6. I (Washington, D.C.: Gov- I ernment Printing Office, I 1898),644. Scrap Lundy, I "California Abalonc In- I dustry. A Pictorial History" (unpublished manuscript, 1995), 12. This manuscript has since been

I I I I

published.

I

62 'Ihe Daily Union (San Die- I go)5 October 1871.

I 63 L. Michael Axford, "Late I

W

‘CheJ5anta Darbara Historical.Society wishes to acknowledsc the senerous financial support of

Claire A- Arnold Charles and patricia Cleek C. Clampus Vitus De la Guerra y Pacheco Chapter 3.5 Deal Graffy Donald and Jo Deth Van Gtlderen

towards the publication of this issue of

Doticias

SANTA BARBARA HISTORICAL SOCIETY 1998 FIESTA CONTRIBUTORS The Santa Barbara Historical Society wishes to thank and acknowledge with pride the following individuals, business, and institutions for their most generous contributions to the Society's 1998 Fiesta Party, ● MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS ● Channel Paper Company Patrick and Marilyn De Young Hayward's Keith and Nancy Marston Printing Impressions Starbuck, Tisdale and Associates Donald and Jo Beth Van Geldercn Wells Fargo Private Client Services ● SILENT AUCTION CONTRIBUTORS ● ABC-CIio Arlington Gallery Arthur Murray Studio Balance Bars Bartham and Associates Boardroom Consultants Body Therapy Institute Borders Books Music & Cafe Richard Breza Casa de Sevilla

Larry and Astrid Hammett Hammock. Arnold, Smith and Co. Robert G. Hansen

Portania USA Radisson Hotel Rancho Oso Guest Ranch Reel Talent/Kids

Hayward's Jedlicka's

Regal Cleaners John Reynolds Ronald A. Wolfe and Associates Santa Barbara Airbus

Kathryn Chalfant

Joyce Armistead Antiques Kaleidoscope Flowers Keeper's Lighthouse Louie's Thad and Laurie MacMillan

Christian-Miller Antiques Citronelle Richard and Barbara Cleveland

Magellan’s Main Antiques Cree Mann

Santa Barbara Magazine Santa Barbara Sailing Center Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens Santa Monica Historical

Marilyn Chandler De Young El Encanto

Marborg Industries McDonald's Restaurants Montecito Cafe Montecito Inn

Society Museum Sea Landing St. Paul Cleaners Santa Barbara News-Press

Emilio's

Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort Fillmore and Western Jane Rich Mueller Jack and Elly Nadel Railway Co. H. Travers and Joanna Firestone Vineyards Newton Four Seasons Biltmore Santa Barbara Mission George and Kay Frakes Museum Gentleman Antiquarians Pan's Garden Richard and Kay Glenn Paradise Cafe Jean Smith Goodrich Peaches Gold's Gym Neal and Annie Graffy

Peregrine Galleries Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Peterson

Steve Handelman Designs Sullivan and Goss Books and Prints Upham Hotel Donald and Jo Beth Van Gelderen Villa Rosa Wells Fargo and Co. Albert and Cicely Wheelon Wine Cask

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NOTICIAS Quarterly Magazine of the Santa Barbara Historical Society P.O. Box 578 Santa Barbara, California 93102-0578

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CONTENTS Pg.77: From Canton to Canon Perdido; Cninese Fishermen of Santa Barbara