.02

Mining

A label shows a photograph of miners reading, Would you leave your country and cross an ocean for the chance to strike it rich? In 1848, the region known today as California was home to people of Mexican descent, Indigenous peoples, and few Euro-American settlers. The discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill on the American River dramatically increased the population as word spread rapidly around the region and the world. In the following year, 100,000 “forty-niners” — prospectors and supporting merchants — rushed to the once-quiet region to stake their claims. This included several thousand Chinese, who like most others hoped to find gold and take it back home. At the peak frenzy in 1852, Chinese composed close to 30 percent of immigrants to San Francisco and the gold fields. The population boom from the Gold Rush fast-tracked California to statehood in 1850. Infrastructure and businesses sprung up quickly to match the explosive growth; an isolated territory turned into a bustling, diverse place in the blink of an eye.
Old mining tools in a display case
A rusted hatchet with a Chinese character on the hilt.
A hatchet spirit bottles and a cup in a display case
A label reading, Drawing from Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese laborers drank herbal teas as a part of their daily regimen for hydration and health. The boiled water prevented sickness that at times plagued other groups of workers. The Chinese laborers—unlike others employed at the Central Pacific Railroad camps—had to provide and pay for their own food from their meager earnings. Despite the expense, they opted for fresh produce and livestock, as well as staples from Hong Kong.
A label reading, These ceramic vessels held imported Cantonese liquor, often distilled from fermented sorghum or rice, and infused with the medicine all herbs. Popular with curly miners and railroad laborers, spirit bottles like these have been found its sights of 19th century labor camps around the west. After long days of labor, sharing a drink was a way to relax, keep warm in winter, and have the familiar taste of home.
An old photograph on an elderly Chinese man named Jin Lin. He sits on a stool and is dressed in traditional Chinese clothing.
Label reading: Despite discrimination, a few Chinese miners found notable success, such as mining labor boss Gin Lin. He immigrated around 1850 and headed north to Oregon. Though laws prohibited Chinese property ownership, he purchased a claim in 1864 on the Little Applegate River. Soon many of the laborers he had previously contracted to other mine owners came to work for him. As his company grew, he introduced hydraulic mining to southern Oregon. Through industry and ingenuity, Gin Lin and his mining company played an important role in southern Oregon’s economy. It also helped him amass a fortune of $2 million in gold.
A label reading, Born in the coastal community of Zhanjiang, Guangdong, Wu showed early artistic talent. He was accepted to the prestigious Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and studied oil painting from 1978 to 1985, where fellow exhibition artist Mian Situ was one of his professors. Wu then immigrated to the United States and earned an MFA from Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Years spent as an illustrator were stable, but Wu dreamed of a fine art career. By 2000, he was pursuing figurative oil painting full time. His classical training and ethnic heritage influenced his subjects, and during visits to China to see family Wu sought out remote villages and traditional lifestyles that reminded him of his childhood. Later, in the process of gaining U.S. citizenship, he became captivated by the history of his adopted country. Wu also was encouraged by Situ and other Chinese-born painters to explore United States history in his art. The San Francisco-based artist has excelled at visual storytelling for two decades. "Living on the West Coast, it is difficult to ignore Western American culture. An old gold mining town is close by, and so is a friend's working cattle ranch. … I visit Native reservations and the Oregon Trail; these places help me to understand what real life in the Old West was like." —Benjamin Wu
An oil painting of a large group of men interacting at a supply station.
A label reading, Benjamin Wu Chinese American, born 1961 Supply Station 2015 Oil on canvas Most prospectors who rushed for gold often arrived needing supplies, so treating posts and pop-up exchanges for goods were a short bet for early California merchants. Those traders who foresaw the opportunity often fared better financially than the prospectors with the scarcity of supplies at the height of the Gold Rush, mining pans sold for $8 a(bout $300 today).
An oil painting of four men working at a gold mine, sifting through slurry for gold.
A label reading, Mian Situ Chinese American, born 1953 The Gold Seekers, Chinese Camp, 1850 2015 Oil on canvas The main method of mining during the California Gold Rush — and depicted in this painting — is placer mining (pronounced “plasser”). It is the practice of separating minerals that have eroded from solid rock and remain as nuggets, flakes or dust within gravel and streams. Water and gravity are key to placer mining, as minerals like gold are heavier than surrounding materials and will fall to the bottom of a swirling pan, cradle, or sluice box. Generally, Chinese miners kept to themselves, working diligently in groups. Others labored for white prospectors, as portrayed in this painting. They also worked abandoned claims, after they were kicked out of more prosperous areas.
An oil painting of five men working at a gold mine, sifting through slurry for gold. One shows another what seems to be gold.
A label reading, Mian Situ Chinese American, born 1953 The Golden Nugget, Chinese Camp, 1850 2015 Oil on canvas Here, miners examine a precious gold nugget while an American prospector watches from afar. The artist presents an imagined example of growing resentment toward Chinese miners. By 1851, the amount of surface gold in northern California had dwindled, and prospectors increasingly fought one another over mining claims and profits. Anti-immigrant tensions soared, resulting in a statewide Foreign Miner’s tax for non-citizens equivalent to $780 today. The bill was later repealed but replaced with another that singled out Chinese miners. Because their ethnicity and culture were different than other immigrant miners — and the Chinese were diligent workers who had found some success — they were often targeted with violence and robberies. Because the Chinese had no legal rights and could not testify in court,* whites could terrorize their camps without repercussions. Many Chinese quit mining, took up other labor, or returned to China. Others moved inland as word spread about gold and silver discoveries in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana.

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