Stages of Chinese Exclusion: Out of the Gold Mines, Urban Factories, and Eventually from Most Back-Breaking Farm Work

We may typically see the Chinese Exclusion Act as a law signed by Congress in 1882, but Chinese communities experienced exclusion since they arrived—in the mines in the 1850s, in urban factories in the 1870s, and in rural farm labor between 1880 and 1890. Through mini-lectures, hands-on activities, and group discussion, explore how these experiences ultimately shaped the California agriculture system, and why driving Chinese workers out was not a victory for white laborers.

Limited Seating.

Image Credit: Chinese laborers in a McNear-owned lumber yard, Petaluma area, late 19th century. McNear Family Collection. Courtesy of the Petaluma Historical Museum. Rights status unknown. Used for educational purposes.

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.