Chinese labor shaped Petaluma’s river, farms, and economy, but these histories, including organized exclusion, are often missing from the record. As part of our Chinese Coastal Stories project, Feet in the Mud: Chinese Lives at Petaluma River 1856-1910, come listen, reflect, and share at the public talk Living with the Creek—Finding Chinese Labor in Petaluma. Together with Dr. Chingling Wo from Sonoma State University's English Department, we’ll read historical research and materials to better understand how labor, race, and environment shaped the city we know today.  

Petaluma River Park Foundation would like to thank the State Coastal Conservancy (SCC) for the Coastal Stories grant allowing us to bring forward stories from communities and voices historically excluded from the storytelling on California’s coast and publicly accessible lands. Our project will highlight three little-known or untold stories from the Coast Miwok, Chinese, and Latinx communities that helped shape the place and culture of Petaluma and the River Park location.