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| Beginning a tour of the Kam Wah Chung shop |
The unpretentious little
building on a side street in John Day, Oregon, doesn’t look like a major
tourist destination, and many visitors to the area pass it up. That’s a mistake.
We recently visited Kam Wah Chung and found it to be a highlight of an Oregon
trip.
The name is not that of a
person, but of a shop and gathering place for the Chinese immigrants who came
to the West Coast in the late nineteenth century. (A loose translation is
“Golden Flower of Prosperity.”) China at the time was unstable politically and financially;
in the United States, immigrants could find work in the gold fields and on the railroads.
Thousands of men came in the hope of making a living and sending money back to
their families in China.
Even here, their life was far
from easy. As in some communities today, the Immigrants faced great resentment
and cruelty. When we toured Kam Wah Chung, we saw bullet holes that had been left
by local residents in the metal doors. Though the Chinese were generally safe
during the day, at night they had to find safe places to stay, and Kam Wah
Chung was one of those places.
Two remarkable Chinese men owned
the shop. Ing Hay, known throughout the area as “Doc Hay,” was an expert
herbalist who cured some patients Western doctors had failed to help. After
Hay’s death, the steamer trunk under his cot was opened. It held many grateful
patients’ checks that had never been cashed. Though he lived modestly, he felt
that he did not need their money as much as they did. Because the shop was
sealed up during the forties and not reopened for decades, Hay’s apothecary is
still there, just as it was long ago. The shelves hold a huge collection of
herbs and tonics, some of which have not been identified.
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| Doc Hay's tiny bedroom |
The other shop owner, Lung On,
was a good businessman who helped the immigrants in other ways. Well educated
and fluent in both Chinese and English, he provided translations and managed
Ing Hay’s practice.
In addition, he
became a labor contractor and owned an early automobile dealership. Both men
became respected members of the local Oregon community, and unlike many of the
Chinese immigrants, never returned to China.
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| Lung On was looking out for his partner's interests when he posted this sign. |
Kam Wah Chung is a museum that
brings the immigrant experience to life. Stepping through the front door, we
saw what might be called a “great room” today;
though the crowded room is tiny, it was a shop, post office, clinic, site
for worship, and library. Side rooms were bedrooms for the two men, a small
dormitory (where each bed held four men!), a kitchen, an altar with offerings, and
storage space. Shelves contain utensils, food tins, dry goods, and small items
for sale by Lung On.
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| I couldn't resist this souvenir teacup. |
Remarkably, admission to Kam Wah
Chung is free. (A gift shop and donations provide some income, and it is a
State Heritage Site.) At the interpretive center across the street, visitors
can see videos and displays and sign up for ranger-led tours of the shop, which
begin hourly. Because the fragile artifacts must be
protected and the building is small, each tour is limited to just a few
visitors. This has the additional advantage of allowing visitors to inspect
everything closely and ask questions of the ranger. We left greatly impressed
by her knowledge and by the museum itself.
Text copyright © 2016 by Carol
Stone; photos copyright © 2016 by Thane Puissegur
