Wasco County

China Pete’s Fish Wheel. Wasco County.

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. Wasco County.

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. Wasco County.

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 to the 1920's. It is within The Dalles Chinatown and on the National Registry of Historic Places: The Dalles Commercial Historic District. See Chew Kee and Company, Wasco County; The Dallas Chinatown, Wasco County; Wing Hong Hai Company, Wasco County. Reference: “Chinatown Archeological Site.” Restore Oregon; National Registry of Historic Places n.d.; “The Dalles Chinatown.” Photo.

Chew Kee and Company Building. Wasco County.

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

Seuferts Cannery China House. Wasco County.

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. The cannery owner provided pigs and ducks while the Chinese workers maintained a vegetable garden. A bathing facility was outside the building. Reference: Seufert 1980: 100-116.

The Chinese Wall. Wasco County.

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: Sense of Place: 6; U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Fivemile Butte, Oregon, 1996.

The Dalles Chinatown. Wasco County.

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: Swackhamer, Barry 2018; “Historic Sites in The Dalles”; National Registry of Historic Places n.d.; “The Dalles Chinatown.” Photo.

The Dalles Chinese Railroad Construction. Wasco County.

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

Tree of Heaven. Wasco County.

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. Wasco County.

Wing Hong Hai Company Building was a later name for Chinese Building, The Dallas. 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/ 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/ Accessed December 5, 2010.

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

National Registry of Historic Places. n.d. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/ Accessed May 22, 2014.

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

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

Swackhamer, Barry. 2018. Chinatown, The Dalles." https://www.hmdb.org/ Accessed January 30, 2022.

 

“The Dalles Chinatown.” https://www.facebook.com/ Accessed May 4, 2015.

Tree Pictures OnLine. http://treepicturesonline.com/ Accessed April 21, 2014.

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

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