Lewiston's Chinese Community

The sign leaves out 1887. In October 1886 two crews of Chinese miners for the Sam Yup Company, led by Chea Po and Lee She, went up the Snake from Lewiston into Hells Canyon. In late May 1887 a gang of white horse thieves robbed and murdered as many as thirty-four of them; bodies floated past Lewiston. One gang member confessed; three went to trial and none was convicted. In 2005, over local objections, the site became Chinese Massacre Cove, and a 2012 memorial in Chinese, English and Nez Perce says no one was held accountable.

What the plaque says

Lewiston's Chinese Community The discovery of gold in 1860 and the founding of Lewiston in 1861 attracted many Chinese to the area. By 1870 approximately 1500 Chinese lived here. They worked as merchants, laborers, laundrymen, and vegetable farmers. Exhausted gold fields, restrictive immigration laws, and an aging male population reduced their numbers to around 100 in the early 1900s. Their descendants continue to be important contributors to the community. 494 Text prepared by the Idaho Historical Society Marker made & installed by Idaho Transportation Department

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Spalding — 10 mi
  The Nimiipuu went to St. Louis asking about a book. What came back was a mission, a printing press and a museum.

More markers nearby

• Tsceminicum — steps away
• John Silcott — 0.4 mi
• 18th St. Bridge — 0.4 mi
• Steamboats — 2.7 mi