Carson City Chinese Woodcutters (#1154)

I was in Carson City to see an exhibit at the Nevada State Museum titled “Fueling the Boom: Chinese Woodcutters in the Great Basin 1870-1920.” Though a small exhibit consisting mainly of posters like this, it was fascinating. I had never heard of the role of Chinese woodcutters in creating the charcoal that fueled the gold and silver rush of the late 1800’s. Some of the Chinese that ended up being woodcutters had been recruited for working on the transcontinental railroad and stayed, while others were immigrants specifically recruited for supporting the mining camps. Due to strong anti-Chinese feelings, they were relegated to doing the sorts of work where they could be largely invisible to the rest of society – often living in very rudimentary housing in the mountain forests. The stories on the posters of their living conditions and perseverance were fascinating, as well as were the stories of their abilities to import some items from China to their camps and thus have some semblance of connection to their culture.

nvculture.org/nevadastatemuseumcarsoncity/exhibits/fueling-the-boom-chinese-woodcutters-in-the-great-basin-1870-1920