Gwenonwyn Knoop

FRINQ: Portland Theme

11-28-2015

Neighborhood Project: Lone Fir Cemetery

During the 1800s China was facing some internal struggles. To understand why they
where attracted to coming to America, I had to understand why they wanted to leave China. IN
the 1700s China had the highest economic stance. All of Asia, Europe, and America relied on
their trade goods to survive. Because of their stance with the world China was boosting rapidly,
leading to more population of people in which the government thought to tax them on food,
clothes and other supplies. This led to rebellion, and weakened the central government. By the
1800s the Opium War broke out. Britain was illegally smuggling The drug called opium into
china which led to many problems within society. This was a reason for many Chinese citizens
to want to leave, and the opportunity to work in America drew them in as well. They had heard of
all the gold that was found in California and Oregon and called them Gum San, which means
Land of the Golden Mountain.
Many men proceeded to immigrate to Oregon and California. Mostly men and barely any
women or children. Many young men left their families behind thinking they would return to

China after they had made money. However, they would soon realize how different their imago
of their lives in america would be.
In Oregon, many of the Chinese worked in mines and on the railroad track as it stretched
north as it was being build. In Portland however, many worked on building the city. Portland was
actually known as a more tolerant city. Throughout America there was many social injustice
within the Chinese community. They faced harsh discrimination, racism, and abuse daily. They
where seen as taking peoples jobs, but where hired because they would work for such cheap
labor. In 1882 there was even a law passed which made it illegal for Chinese to work for 10
years. When this happened many cites saw a decrease in Chinese populations, except for
Portland which actually saw an increase. Chinese workers and civilians where treated more
respectably in Portland. They where treated more equally here than in other major cities. Even
though they couldnt own property, they where allowed to own their own business which was
treated as if a white person owned and operated it. Slowly Chinatown was being established
and many Chinese immigrants flourished there. They operated laundry mats, restaurants,
Produce shops, and other local business that required a spacial skill. The Chinese immigrants
who came to portland even dug up the stumps in the roads to advance the city.
The citys cemetery, The Lone Fir Cemetery, even had a designated area in which the
Immigrants could be buried. It was called Block 14 and was known as the Chinese Burial
Grounds. It was Chinese tradition to have their bones be sent back to their ancestors in China.
So their families and friends would bury them here, and then they would be dug up and shipped
back to china. Which could also be interoperated at racism and segregation, The Chinese where

very thankful for this burial ground back in then. However in 1948, the Multnomah county
wanted that space to use for a maintenance yard for the highway and dug it up with a bulldozer.
And many of the remaining bones where sent to China.