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Excavators working on a rugged ranch in eastern Oregon recently found evidence of Chinese immigrants working as cowboys. This role is rarely associated with the American West.
Researchers from multiple state departments and agencies worked together over the summer to excavate the remote Stewart Ranch. historic site Located in Grant County in eastern Oregon.
The excavation was first reported in Oregon Public Broadcasting, was a special collaboration with the Southern Oregon University Anthropology Institute (SOULA) and the Oregon Historical Society.
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Chelsea Rose, one of the archaeologists involved, said the summer excavation was a “happy coincidence” because Stewart Ranch was well preserved.
“To date, our team has uncovered connections between Chinese immigrants and more than 30 ranches in the area,” she told FOX News Digital.
A summer excavation at a remote ranch in Oregon uncovered artifacts that suggest Chinese immigrants worked as ranch hands and cowboys. (Southern Oregon University Anthropology Institute, Kam Wah Trung Heritage Site)
“Some of these ranches are long gone, some are still operated or owned by the same families for generations, and some, like the Stewart Ranch, are preserved on public land.”
Rose, the SOULA director, said her team found bullets, food debris and cleaning products on the floor. The items included broken plates, shards of glass bottles and “animal bones.” past meals. ”
Archaeologists also found buttons and jeans rivets. Rose estimated that the artifacts could date from the early 20th century to the 1930s.
The rest of the meal was not unexpected. She pointed to a primary document in which one of the cooks described the restaurant as being famous for its mutton.
“This further increases the need to collect more data. Fortunately, there are several ranches we are looking at next summer.”
“At the scene, we found a number of animal bones that reflect the diet that the crew ate together. remains of some mammals It matches the sheep,” she said.
“So, it’s possible that they’re looking at the remains of the meal we made.” [Jim Lee, one of the cowboys] For the hungry rancher after a long day. ”
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Rose added that the ranch is “very much the same as it was when Chinese cowboys and cooks were working there.” It was an experience that was “like going back in time.”
Researchers are still analyzing artifact found Over the summer, it “will help us date some of the materials we find,” she said.
Archaeologists found broken plates, shards of bottles, and animal bones that may reflect meals shared by ranch staff. (Southern Oregon University Anthropology Laboratory)
“Another complication is that the presence of Chinese Americans on the ranch cannot be narrowed down to artifacts made in China,” she says.
“These people lived and worked. in the area For decades, they would have been able to obtain goods and supplies from Chinese stores…what they used and owned would have reflected their personal tastes, economic status, and which stores they had access to. ”
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Rose added, “This reinforces the need to collect more data. Fortunately, there are several ranches we are looking at next summer.”
She said the “coolest” part is “having the same views and sense of place as we had 100 years ago.”
“We know of at least two Chinese American men who ran their own ranches.”
“Typically, when we’re working on site, we have to work harder to imagine how that space was used and experienced in the past. In some cases, that means ignoring the nearby McDonald’s,” she said.
“Although some buildings were relocated over time, the Stewart Ranch house remained, the bunkhouse also survived, and the traffic flow used by the early residents is evident to this day.”
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Chinese immigrants first settled in southern Oregon. oregon gold rush In 1850, they once accounted for nearly 80 percent of the area’s miners, she said.
“As always, as gold declined, these people had to pivot to other opportunities, so it’s no wonder so many ended up joining the sheep and cattle growing industry, where they ended up working as buckaroos, ranch hands, shepherds, cooks, farm hands and even ranch foreman,” she said.
“To date, our team has uncovered connections between Chinese immigrants and more than 30 ranches in the region,” Rose said (not pictured). (Southern Oregon University Anthropology Institute, Kam Wah Trung Heritage Site)
“We know of at least two Chinese American men who ran their own ranches.”
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Unfortunately, restrictive laws prevented many of these cowboys from bringing their families to the United States, and much of their heritage was never passed on to the next generation.
Rose emphasized the importance of the excavation because Chinese-American cowboys were often ignored in the historical record despite their significant economic impact.
The Stewart Ranch excavation is said to be a rare opportunity to experience a historic site that has remained largely unchanged for more than a century. (Southern Oregon University Anthropology Laboratory)
“Including Chinese Americans in Oregon’s early ranching industry does not take away from the many white families who worked hard, sometimes under difficult conditions, to raise sheep and cattle,” she said.
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“This adds richness and depth to the story. You see how humans interacted and supported each other. How wonderful to be able to bring them back into the story where they belong. This is Oregon history!”
