Wasco County

China Pete’s Fish Wheel. China Pete’s Fish Wheel was on the Oregon side of the Columbia River just west of Eightmile Rapids. The wheel, a device for harvesting fish out of the river, acquired its name because of Ah Fook, its watchman and operator of the wheel in 1907. Reference: Seufert 1980: 24.

Chinaman Hat. Chinaman Hat is a peak that stands 3623 feet above sea level overlooking Hollow Creek within North Pole Ridge. When viewed from the north or south, its appearance is similar to the Chinese farmer hat. When seen from the east or west, it appears like the Chinese peasant hat. U.S.G.S. quadrangle 7.5’ series, Hastings Peak, Oregon, 1980.

Chinese Building. The Chinese Building is located at 201 East First Street within the town of The Dalles. Constructed in 1878 after the first building burned, it was built to be fire-proof, i.e. constructed of bricks to include a layer of brick on the roof. The building served as a Chinese laundry and merchandise store from the 1880s to the 1920s. It is within the Dalles Chinatown and the National Registry of Historic Places: The Dalles Commercial Historic District. (See Chew Kee and Company, Wasco County; Wing Hong Hai Company, Wasco County). Reference: “Chinatown Archeological Site.” Restore Oregon; National Registry of Historic Places n.d.; “The Dalles Chinatown.”

Chew Kee and Company Building. Chew Kee and Company was an early occupant of the Chinese Building. (See Chinese Building, Wasco County).

Seuferts Cannery China House. Seuferts Cannery China House was located on the grounds of the cannery that was about one mile from the town of The Dalles. Chinese cannery crews of 20-30 workers began using the facility in 1896. The structure was divided into three rooms: one acted as a dormitory, another was a mess hall, and one served as a kitchen. A bathing facility was outside the building. The Chinese maintained their own food consisting of pigs and ducks, provided by the cannery owner, and a vegetable garden maintained by the workers. Reference: Seufert 1980: 100-116.

The Chinese Wall. Chinese laborers, employed by the Johns brothers, constructed a rock wall several hundred feet in length on Mill Creek. The rock material resulted from their clearing the land to create a pasture. Reference: U.S. Forest Service: 6; U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Fivemile Butte, Oregon, 1996.

The Dalles Chinatown. The Dalles Chinatown was located along E. First Street, primarily between Washington Street and Court Street adjacent to the present railroad tracks. It provided services to local Chinese cannery workers and railroad laborers. It is within National Registry of Historic Places: The Dalles Commercial Historic District. Reference: “Historic Sites in The Dalles”; National Registry of Historic Places n.d.; “The Dalles Chinatown.”

The Dalles Chinese Railroad Construction . Approximately 500 Chinese workers built the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company (part of today’s Union Pacific Railroad) from The Dalles eastward along the south side of the Columbia River to Wallula in 1882. Reference: Edson 1974: 58.

Tree of Heaven. Stands of the Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) were planted along Highway 84 paralleling The Dalles to Wallula railroad route. Although the choice of the Tree of Heaven seems a coincidence, the Tree of Heaven is closely associated with Chinese sojourners of the 1800s throughout the west. It forms a landmark indicator of a Chinese presence while parts of the tree offered traditional Chinese medicinal cures. (See Tree of Heaven, Jackson County).

Wing Hong Hai Company Building. Wing Hong Hai Company Building was a later name for Chinese Building. Owners of the company were Lee Yuen Hong, Lee Dick, Lee Wing, and Lei On. They occupied the building from 1900-1910. (See Chinese Building. Wasco County). Reference: “The Dalles Chinatown.”

References
“Ailanthus_altissima.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus_altissima/ Accessed April 23, 2014.

Edson, Christopher H. 1974. The Chinese in Eastern Oregon. San Francisco, California: R&E Research Associates.

“Historic Sites in The Dalles.” Historic The Dalles, Oregon.” http://www.historicthedalles.org/the_dalles_commercial_district.htm#chewkee/ Accessed December 5, 2010.

“Chinatown Archeological Site.” Restore Oregon. http://restoreoregon.org/the-dalles-chinatown/. Accessed July 3, 2014.

National Registry of Historic Places. n.d. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natregsearchresult.do?fullresult=true&recordid=0

Sense of Place. U.S. Forest Service. Mt Hood National Forest.

Seufert, Francis. 1980. Wheels of Fortune. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society.

“The Dalles Chinatown.” https://www.facebook.com/thedalleschinatown/photos/a.327361764072500.1073741828.313810105427666/512197798922228/?type=1&theater/ Accessed May 4, 2015.

Tree Pictures OnLine. http://treepicturesonline.com/tree_of_heaven_pictures.html/ accessed April 21, 2014.

U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Fivemile Butte, Oregon, 1996.

_______. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Hastings Peak, Oregon, 1980.