Julia Costello Collection : Donner Summit Chinese Railroad Camp2020.M.1..Costello

Chinese Historical Society of Southern California

Contributing Institution: Chinese Historical Society of Southern California

Title: Julia Costello Collection

: Donner Summit Chinese Railroad Camp

Creator: Costello Julia

Creator: Tuttle Jeff

Identifier/Call Number: 2020.M.1..Costello

Physical Description: 1.04 Linear Feet 1 Bankers Box

Date (inclusive): 1865-1869

Abstract: Over a total of four days in 1983 and 1984, surface

collections were made at the Donner Summit site by archaeologist Julia Costello

and her husband Jeff Tuttle. This work camp, occupied between 1865 and 1869 by Chinese construction workers on the transcontinental railroad, was located using historic accounts, maps, and surface survey. In general, only Chinese artifacts were collected while Euro/American ceramics, glass, and metal were left in place.

Language of Material: Chinese .

Biographical / Historical

Julia Costello, Ph.D, is an archaeologist and co-owner of Foothill Resources, a historical consulting firm located in Calaveras County that works on projects throughout California. Specializing in the historic period, she has researched and published works on the Spanish Missions, mining sites, ninteenth-century life, and immigrant groups including Chinese, Italians, and Japanese. She served as Member and Chair of the California State Historical Resources Commmission, and on the boards of several national, state, and local history organizations.

Scope and Contents

The

Costello Collection

is organized by primary site (Donner Summit). The materials found from this work camp site contain fragments of bottles of medicine/alcohol, opium parapherealia, metal wok scraps, buttons, ceramic food storage containers, syringe, game pieces, and Euro-American ceramic. The collection contains different glazes and patterns on the Chinese ceramic materials such as Chinese Brown Glaze Stoneware, Double Happiness, Bamboo, Celadon (Wintergreen), and Four Seasons. This collection also consists of one whole projectile point.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into seven series: I Chinese Ceramics, Series II: Euro-American Ceramics, Series III: Opium Peraphenalia, Series IV: Personal Items, Series IV: Glass Items, Series VII: Miscellaneous Materials and Prehistoric. The collection has been primarily kept in the original collector's arrangement of artifact count, and is organized in the following series and subseries:

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers and for public access. Please contact the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Collection was donated to the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California by Julia Costello

in the Fall of 2020.

Processing Information

In the Fall of 2020, Archaeologist Julia

Costello donated her collection

of Chinese work camp artifacts from Donner Summit to the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. As part of the CHSSC Archive's mission to pursue, preserve, and communicate knowledge of the history of Chinese Americans in Southern California, the Julia

Costello Collection

serves as a valuable addition for future researchers, scholars, and community members who are interested in learning more about the daily life in a Chinese work camp during the construction of the transcontinental railroad. The collection was catalogued by -- then Columbus University PhD student -- John Molenda as part of his dissertation research the "

Costello Collection

". In 2020 Scott Baxter borrowed the collection to study its contents, annotating the printed catalogue from Molenda with corrections and additional information. In preparation for submitting the

collection to CHSSC, Julia Costello

reexamined the artifacts incorporating Baxter's notes and further updated the Molenda catalogue, and generated a new Excel database (Appendix A). Intern, Justin Martin, began creating the finding aid in 2021, cross-referencing data on the Excel database and artifact catalogue to ensure accuracy when organizing the artifacts by series and subseries. With the help of Collections Manager, Coryn Hardison, and CHSSC Archaeologist, Linda Bentz, we decided to keep the collector's original artifact arrangement when organizing the finding aid as the the artifacts were collected and organized by provenience.

Preferred Citation

[Item], [Julia

Costello Collection ], Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Chinese Laborers

Transcontinental Railroad

Donner Lake (Calif.)

Sierra Nevada (Calif. And Nev.)

Chinese Artifacts

Chinese Archeological Dig

Opium Tins

Opium Paraphernalia

Bowls

Bottles

Coins

Series I: Chinese Ceramics 1865-1869

box DP, folder 081-088, box DP, folder 089-101, box DP, folder 103, box DP, folder 105-110, box DP, folder 112-119, box DPWTE#1, folder 1, box DSEHA, folder 07-10, box DSEHA, folder 20-21, box DSREH, folder 09a-09b, box DSHA#1, folder 07a-07b, box DSHA#1, folder 08, box NP, folder 6, box DPS-1, folder 063-1, box DPS-1, folder 063-2, box DSSAA#2, folder 13-15, box DPNSA#3, folder 1-2, box DSSAA#3, folder 07a-08a, box DSSAA#4, folder 13-15, box DSSAA#5, folder 05-06, box DSSAA#6, folder 08-11, box DSSAA#6, folder 12a-12b, box DSSAA#7, folder 07, box DSSAA#7, folder 08a-08b

Subseries 1A: Chinese Brown Glazed Stoneware

box DP, folder 102, box DP, folder 104, box DP, folder 111, box DSREH, folder 10, box DPS-1, folder 090-091, box DSSAA#4, folder 07-08, box DSSAA#7, folder 09

Subseries 2B: Unglazed Stoneware

box DP, folder 037-049, box DP, folder 051, box DP, folder 053-055, box DP, folder 058, box DP, folder 064-066, box DP, folder 068-071, box DP, folder 073-074, box DSEHA, folder 02, box DSEHA, folder 18, box DSREH, folder 06, box DSHA#1, folder 04-05, box NP, folder 5, box DPS-1, folder 098-113, box DSSAA#2, folder 10, box DSSAA#3, folder 10a, box DSSAA#4, folder 01, box DSSAA#5, folder 03, box DSSAA#7, folder 06

Subseries 3C: Double Happiness

box DP, folder 050, box DP, folder 052, box DP, folder 056-057, box DP, folder 060, box DSEHA, folder 03, box DSHA#1, folder 03, box DPS-1, folder 114-121, box DPS-1, folder 125-132, box DSSAA#2, folder 11, box DSSAA#3, folder 11a, box DSSAA#4, folder 02, box DSSAA#6, folder 06-07

Subseries 4D: Bamboo

box DP, folder 059, box DSEHA, folder 01, box DSREH, folder 07, box DPS-1, folder 122-124, box DPS-1, folder 132a, box DSSAA#3, folder 09a, box DSSAA#4, folder 03, box DSSAA#5, folder 04, box DSSAA#7, folder 05

Subseries 5E: Celadon (Wintergreen)

box DP, folder 063b, box DP, folder 072

Subseries 6F: Four Seasons

box DP, folder 018, box DP, folder 026, box DP, folder 035, box DSEHA, folder 19, box DSREH, folder 05

Subseries 7G: Undecorated Chinese Ceramics

box DSHA#1, folder 06, box DSSAA#2, folder 12, box DSSAA#4, folder 06

Subseries 8H: Ginger Jar

box DSSAA#6, folder 16, box DSSAA#7, folder 10

Subseries 9I: Unknown Earthenware

Series 2: Euro-American Ceramics 1865-1869

box DP, folder 013-017, box DP, folder 019-022, box DP, folder 024-025, box DP, folder 027, box DP, folder 029, box DP, folder 032a-032b, box DSEHA, folder 04, box DSREH, folder 08

Subseries 1A: White-Improved Earthenware

box DP, folder 023, box DP, folder 028

Subseries 2B: Industrial Porcelain

Series 3: Opium Paraphernalia 1865-1869

box DP, folder 500-501, box DSEHA, folder 12, box DSEHA, folder 16, box DSREH, folder 04, box DSHA#1, folder 01, box DPS-1, folder 136-137, box DPS-1, folder 138-150, box DSSAA#2, folder 09, box DSSAA#4, folder 05, box DSSAA#5, folder 01, box DSSAA#6, folder 03, box DSSAA#7, folder 03

Subseries 1A: Opium Box

box DP, folder 075, box DSEHA, folder 05-06, box DSEHA, folder 22-23, box DSHA#1, folder 09, box DPS-1, folder 092-097, box DSSAA#2, folder 17, box DSSAA#3, folder 12a, box DSSAA#4, folder 04, box DSSAA#5, folder 02, box DSSAA#6, folder 13, box DSSAA#7, folder 11

Subseries 2B: Opium Pipe Bowl

box DSEHA, folder 15, box DSSAA#2, folder 01

Subseries 3C: Opium Lamp

Series 4: Personal Items 1865-1869

box DP, folder 034, box DP, folder 076, box DP, folder 080

Subseries 1A: Buttons

Scope and Contents

DP, 034 is noted as missing on the artifact inventory count.

box DSEHA, folder 17, box DSHA#1, folder 02, box DPS-1, folder 135, box DPS-1, folder 138, box DSSAA#6, folder 04, box DSSAA#7, folder 04

Subseries 2B: Coins

box DPS-1, folder 134, box DSSAA#2, folder 03

Subseries 3C: Medicine Vials

box DSSAA#4, folder 12

Subseries 4D: Syringe

box DP, folder 030, box DP, folder 068, box DSREH, folder 03, box DSSAA#3, folder 05a, box DSSAA#4, folder 11, box DSSAA#7, folder 01

Subseries 5E: Game Pieces

box DPS-1, folder 153

Subseries 6F: Leather

Series 5: Metal Items 1865-1869

box DP, folder m111, box DP, folder 118, box DSEHA, folder 14, box DSSAA#2, folder 05-06, box DSSAA#7, folder 02

Subseries 1A: Wok

box DP, folder 502, box DP, folder m110, box DP, folder m112-m113, box DP, folder m116, box DPS-1, folder 151, box DPS-1, folder 156-159, box DSSAA#2, folder 07, box DSSAA#3, folder 06a, box DSSAA#6, folder 02a

Subseries 2B: Ferrous

box DP, folder m112-mm13, box DSEHA, folder 13

Subseries 3C: Hardware

box DP, folder m117, box DSSAA#2, folder 08, box DSSAA#6, folder 02b, box DSSAA#6, folder 05, box DPSSA, folder INS

Subseries 4D: Miscellaneous Metal Materials

box DP, folder 121, box DP, folder m120

Subseries 5E: Nails

Series 6: Glass Items 1865-1869

box DP, folder 001-003, box DP, folder 005, box DP, folder 008-012, box DP, folder 078, box DSEHA, folder 11, box DSREH, folder 02, box DPS-1, folder 133, box DSSAA#2, folder 02, box DSSAA#3, folder 03a, box DSSAA#4, folder 09, box DSSAA#6, folder 01

Subseries 1A: Bottles and Jars

box DSSAA#3, folder 01a

Subseries 2B: Hurricane Lamp

box DP, folder 004, box DP, folder 006-007, box DPS-1, folder 154-155

Subseries 3C: Unidentified Glass

Series 7: Miscellaneous Materials and Prehistoric 1865-1869

box DP, folder 031, box DP, folder 036, box DSHA#1, folder 10, box NP, folder 7, box DSSAA#7, folder 12

Subseries 1A: Miscellaneous Materials

box DP, folder 033, box DSREH, folder 01

Subseries 2B: Prehistoric