Hidden
Portals

Sites

Hidden Portals features 5 different historic Asian American communities, which you can visit at their original sites, or at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC:

Providence | Portland | Hanford | Riverside | Truckee

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  Providence today. See Library of Congress site

  

  At Library of Congress. See Providence today.

  Providence, Rhode Island: Empire Street Chinatown, c1910

  Visit the portal at the original site or at the Library of Congress:

  📍 Providence, RI 📍 LOC Madison Building atrium

  Providence had a vibrant Chinese American neighborhood on both Burrill Street and Empire Street between c1880-1914, but successive displacements pushed the community out of downtown by 1914.

  Some in the community were escaping racist violence across the West Coast, including Taw Foo, who moved from Portland, and grew heritage vegetables on a plot outside of town. The community included musicians, chefs, pharmacists, and members of a local church choir. Tucked into small private alleys were a tea shop, several groceries, and a restaurant called Yick’s.

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  Portland today. See Library of Congress site

  

  At Library of Congress. See Portland today.

  Portland, Oregon: Chinese Vegetable Gardens, c1901

  Visit the portal at the original site or at the Library of Congress:

  📍 Portland, OR 📍 LOC Jefferson Building south lawn

  On the west side of Portland, at the present site of the Multnomah Athletic Club and Lincoln High School, a small farming village lived along the banks of Tanner Creek from the 1870s through the early 1900s. Today it is covered by many feet of infill, but by 1900, dozens of small buildings clustered on the hill overlooking the creek, where you could see crops growing in lush fields on the steep hillsides, and clothes hung out to dry.

  This portal was created in collaboration with Dri Chiu Tattersfield. Read more »

  Mural designed by, and photo courtesy of Lynn Yarne and Shu-Ju Wang, 2022.

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  Hanford today. See Library of Congress site

  

  At Library of Congress. See Hanford today.

  Hanford, California: China Alley, c1892

  Visit the portal at the original site or at the Library of Congress:

  📍 Hanford, CA 📍 LOC Geography & Maps Division

  The Taoist Temple is still stewarded by descendants of the neighborhood called China Alley in Hanford, California. As artist Evelyn Yin writes: "The town of Hanford was formed in 1877 when the Southern Pacific Railroad extended into California's San Joaquin Valley. Many Chinese laborers came to work on the tracks and later stayed for farming. They were mostly from Sam Yup (三邑 sānyì), the three former counties of Namhoi (南海 nánhǎi), Poonyu (番禺 pānyú) and Shuntak (顺德 shùndé) in Canton — now known as Guǎngdōng 广东 — province. China Alley prospered to include restaurants, homes, boarding houses, general merchandise stores, herb shops, gambling establishments, a Chinese school, and a temple. Over 100 years later, the brick buildings remain largely intact and unaltered."

  This portal was created in collaboration with Evelyn Hang Yin and the help of the China Alley Preservation Society. Read more »

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  Riverside today. See Library of Congress site

  

  At Library of Congress. See Riverside today.

  Riverside, California: Pachappa Camp, c1912

  Visit the portal at the original site or at the Library of Congress:

  📍 Riverside, CA 📍 LOC Madison Building NW terrace

  In 1908, Pachappa Camp was established in Riverside, CA during the beginning of the occupation of Korea by the Empire of Japan and played a role in independence organizing by early Korean Americans. Families built a small community and earned money by picking citrus. Photos of residents include children playing baseball and track, riding bicycles, learning trumpet and playing among the chrysanthemums the community grew.

  This portal was created in collaboration with Mikki Paek and with the help of the Young Oak Kim Center for Korean American Studies at UC Riverside.

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  Truckee today. See Library of Congress site

  

  At Library of Congress. See Truckee today.

  Truckee, California: Chinatown, c1870

  Visit the portal at the original site or at the Library of Congress:

  📍 Truckee, CA 📍 LOC Adams Building south patio

  In 1870, more than a quarter of the population of Truckee was Chinese American, and a bustling Chinatown included 11 groceries, as well as tea shops, doctor’s offices, gardens, and a bath house.

  Truckee’s Chinatowns were subject to racist treatment and were burnt down repeatedly until 1886, when most Chinese Americans left. Some relocated to Oroville and other areas, where they found relative safety and prosperity. Today, descendants of the Fong Lee family business in Truckee continue to trace their history back over 140 generations and still remember their years in Truckee and the home they were able to make there.

  This portal was created in collaboration with Dri Chiu Tattersfield