Virginia City: Secrets of a Western Past

4. The Chinese

42 4. The Chinese In the Cedar Hill Canyon north of Virginia City, the Pioneer Steam Laundry thrived for two decades during the height of the Comstock Mining District. The industrial complex employed men and women from Europe , North America, and China, and they resided in group housing near the business. Census records suggest racial segregation, but the exact living arrangement is unclear.1 In 1991 a preliminary archaeological survey of the area indicated some potential. Unfortunately, bottle diggers had arrived first and left dirt piles filled with broken glass, pottery shards, and bones. They had done their work, making the site difficult to read. Thoughtless actions nearly obliterated an expression of American history. For some inexplicable reason, however, a solitary, intact celadon tea cup rested on top of one of the backfill piles. The delicate vessel’s pale sea-green exterior complimented an exquisite robin’s-egg-blue bowl. It is impossible to know whether the thief forgot to take the artifact, or if the chip on its lip rendered the object unsatisfactory. Without the context of other artifacts , archaeologists cannot use the object to gain much understanding. Nevertheless, the cup speaks eloquently of the Chinese legacy that was part of the industry in that ravine. These immigrants worked there, contributing to the Comstock’s success like so many others from throughout the world. They were too often mistreated and then departed. The final insult came in the form of a later intruder with a shovel whose actions would go a long way toward erasing evidence of those who lived and labored there.2 For most Comstockers—like many nineteenth-century westerners— Chinese Americans were the least welcomed of immigrants, ranking lower than African Americans, Native Americans, and those who spoke Spanish. The Cornish considered the Chinese more despicable than even the Irish. And for the Irish even the Cornish were preferable to the Chinese. Each group looked at the ethnic ladder differently, but Asians usually occupied the lowest rung. In spite of this Chinese Americans ar- 43 The Chinese rived in Virginia City by the hundreds and helped develop the mining district into a world-class success. They called Nevada Yin Shan, or Silver Mountain, to differentiate it from California, which they named Jin Shan (in Cantonese, Gum Shan), or Golden Mountain. For these people of the Pacific Rim, Nevada was within reach, and its wealth promised opportunity. Virginia City miners responded to the new Asian arrivals with distrust and hostility, based in part on the success of the Chinese in the California gold country. White labor feared that the Chinese would undercut wages with diligent work and meager living expenses, so Comstock miners forbade the immigrants from underground employment . The labor union threatened to shut down any mine that hired them. When Chinese workers were constructing the Virginia and Truckee Railroad line from Carson City toward Gold Hill in 1869, the miners ’ representatives intimidated the owners into using only white union workers when blasting tunnels.3 Chinese Americans received little better treatment aboveground. Primary sources describe a wide spectrum of abuse. Children pelted old men with stones, fire departments failed to arrive when needed in Chinatown , and white customers often refused to pay for laundry services. The immigrants had no access to law enforcement or courts to appeal for help, so they suffered in silence. In spite of the overwhelming racism, some people of conscience rose in defense of Chinese Americans. One of these was Comstock resident Edward Lovejoy, the son of Elijah Lovejoy, the famed martyred antebellum journalist and abolitionist. Perhaps echoing his father’s progressive attitude, Edward had authored sympathetic editorials on behalf of the Chinese before arriving in Nevada. Mark Twain wrote of the Asians in Virginia City: “They are a harmless race when white men either let them alone or treat them no worse than dogs. . . . They are quiet, peaceable , tractable, free from drunkenness, and they are as industrious as the day is long. A disorderly Chinese is rare, and a lazy one does not exist.” Unfortunately, such compassionate and complimentary voices were rare.4 In the face of brutal obstacles, Chinese Americans found ways to thrive on the Comstock for two decades. The first Asian laborers arrived in the 1850s to dig a ditch near the confluence of the Carson River and Gold Canyon Creek. Many remained to placer mine or pursue other occupations , and because of their presence, the community that grew up in [3.137.161...