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photo by Donald Kinney
I shouldn't be such a braggart, but finally, I think I know enough about the history of China Camp Village to wing this one, without resorting to excessive plagiarism or Wikipedia references.
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
Chinese immigrated in great numbers following the discovery of gold. The "white man" needed someone to do his "heavy-lifting" in the mines. A great deal of California's roads and early bridges were built by teams of dependable, hard-working, and crafty Chinese.
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
Until I visited the China Camp Museum I was rather unaware of the rampant discrimination commonly practiced on the Chinese in the late 1800's and into the turn of the century. Netting rather small Bay Shrimp was one on a short-list of occupations deemed suitable for a Chinaman. Laws prohibited the Chinese from delivering their catch to market in San Francisco themselves, so they had to hire a "white-man" to serve as their middleman and delivery agent.
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
Tons of Bay Shrimp were hauled out of San Pablo Bay in those early days. Bay Shrimp depend on fresh water that would normally come into the bay via the "Delta" from the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers.
The problem is that so much fresh water has been diverted for agricultural purposes in California's Central Valley that very little arrives at San Pablo Bay. Not being able to withstand higher the salt-water levels, the catch of Bay Shrimp at China Camp has diminished in recent decades to just a pail-full or two. ((( more tomorrow )))
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1 comment:
I really dig the layering in the top shot, Don.
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