HAGERMAN, Idaho — In 1870, more than a quarter of Idaho's population was Chinese, but today there is very little evidence they were ever in the state. On Friday, March 20, I went to a lecture at the Thousand Springs / Hagerman Fossil Beds Visitor's Center to learn what archaeologists have discovered about Chinese gold miners on the Snake River.
Ronald James first became engrossed in the history of Idaho’s Chinese gold miners in 1988 when he started surveying for archaeological sites and artifacts in the Snake River Canyon.
"It was a hard life, was dangerous, but overall, I think many of them did quite well considering that they made enough money to go back home," James said.
While other Chinese American communities in Idaho, such as Boise, Placerville, and Idaho City, were more well-documented with residents living and working for decades, the community in the Snake River Canyon quietly disappeared.
"And then when you look at the remains, it’s obvious that the others are having tea, they’re getting lots of products, and so analysis of average wages that we do have show that they were relatively well off," James said.
James speculates there were about 500 to 600 Chinese miners in the Snake River Canyon.
"I think I’d be safe to speculate, probably within the Snake River Canyon, about 500 to 600, but then I’m sure it went down from there, but maintained a fairly steady presence. That is, until the gold supply dwindled. They finally faded away," James said.
James said he has not found any artifacts more recent than 1884 and assumes most miners moved on or returned to China. During that time period, anti-Chinese sentiment increased across the western United States, and in 1882 Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, restricting how many Chinese people could enter the country, and denying citizenship to Chinese who were already here.
At the same time, episodes of anti-Chinese violence began occurring, with 28 Chinese laborers killed in Rock Springs, Wyoming, in 1885, and in Hell's Canyon claiming another 34 Chinese in 1887.
There is no indication this type of violence was responsible for the disappearance of the Snake River Canyon community, James said, as there was at that time no sizable population of European-descended settlers.
James recently gave a talk as part of a year-long celebration of the Chinese Year of the Horse. Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Lead Ranger Kendra Kersting explained the connection to the area.
"Fossil beds are most famous for the Hagerman horse, which is right behind me. We have the world’s largest quantity of Hagerman horses found," Kersting said. "And we are celebrating the year of the horse by offering a wide variety of different lecture series that talks about horses in Chinese mining in the area nearby the park."
James will be in McCall on March 31 to talk about Chinese history in Idaho. Additionally, the Thousand Springs Visitor's Center has a full schedule of Year of the Horse events.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
