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WASHINGTON, DC -- Today Congressman David Wu announced $75,000 for a memorial to honor Chinese immigrants and their contributions to Oregon's coastal economy and history.
"Chinese immigrants were an essential part of the coastal economy, and contributed greatly to the vibrant history of Astoria and Clatsop County," said Congressman Wu. "I am honored to have this opportunity to memorialize their rightful place in Oregon's history."
Beginning in the 1870s, Chinese immigrants came to Astoria, Oregon to work mostly in canneries, but also in laundries, grocery stores, and on the railroad. An 1880 Clatsop County, Oregon census showed that out of a total population of 7,055 people, 2,045 were Chinese. As the century wore on, and the number of canneries diminished, fewer and fewer Chinese were hired from the increasingly competitive labor pool, but they remained an important part of Oregon's coastal history.
The request for assistance came from the city of Astoria and the Chinese Heritage Park Committee. The funding will be used to design a Chinese Heritage Park in downtown Astoria near where many of the old cannery buildings once stood. The city and committee are looking at the Ninth and Astor Park site which is part of the old Chinatown district and adjacent to the Astoria Trolley Line, the Riverwalk Trail, and the Columbia River.
The funding was approved by the U.S. House subcommittee and now must be voted on by the U.S. House of Representatives.
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