Between 1885 and 1887 roughly two hundred communities across the American West expelled their Chinese residents by mob, fire, forced march and boycott, and almost nobody was convicted. The episode anchors the wave at Rock Springs, Wyoming, where twenty-eight Chinese miners were killed; Tacoma, where the mayor led a forced march into freezing rain; and Hells Canyon, where a gang murdered more than thirty miners. It ends with a Rock Springs memorial dedicated in 2025.
Who's who
- Jacob WeisbachTacoma mayor who personally led the forced expulsion column
- Charles McGlashanTruckee editor who designed the starve-them-out boycott
- Bruce EvansLed the gang that murdered Chinese miners in Hells Canyon
- Lum MayTacoma merchant whose deposition survives
- Lee LoiAgent of the Sam Yup Company who pursued the Snake River case
- Joseph K. VincentInvestigator of the Hells Canyon murders
- Cheng Tsao-juChinese minister in Washington who itemized losses
- Grover Cleveland+4 more episodesPresident who condemned the violence and sent federal troops
Where it happens
- Rock Springs, WyomingMassacre of at least 28 Chinese miners in September 1885
- Tacoma, Washington TerritoryForced march of Chinese residents in November 1885
- Hells Canyon, Snake River, Oregon-IdahoMurder of 31 to 34 Chinese gold miners in 1887
- Truckee, CaliforniaChinatown starved out by boycott
- Seattle, Washington TerritoryAttempted deportation by steamer in 1886
Timeline
- February 1885Eureka expels its Chinese community within about 48 hours
- September 1885Rock Springs massacre; grand jury returns no indictments
- November 1885Tacoma forced march in freezing rain
- February 1886Seattle riot; federal troops arrive
- February 1887Congress appropriates a $147,748.74 indemnity without admitting liability
- May 1887Hells Canyon murders; every defendant walks free
Still debated
Rock Springs's death toll of 28 is a floor, as some accounts run higher. Hells Canyon's toll runs from 10 in first reports to 31 to 34 in later accounts.
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