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Wing Chong Company Grocery & Squid Industry Records
ARC 542
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Title: Wing Chong Company Grocery & Squid Industry Records
Dates: 1918-1936
Collection Number: ARC 542
Creator/Collector:
Extent: 1.0 linear ft.; file folders; 7 bound volumes
Repository:
Monterey Public Library
Monterey, California 93940
Abstract: The Wing Chong Company Squid Industry Records Collection consist of the business records of the dried squid and grocery store
operations of the Wing Chong Company in Monterey, CA. The records are primarily those maintained by the Wing Chong Company,
located at 811 Ocean Avenue and under the proprietorship of Yee Won and partner C. L. Sam. Besides his legendary Cannery Row
grocery and merchandise shop (fictionalized in John Steinbeck’s novel Cannery Row), Yee Won operated a clearinghouse for the
local Chinese dried squid business in Monterey.
Language of Material: English
By appointment only; contact Local History Librarian or designated staff.
Reproduction by Local History Librarian or designated staff; may be restricted due to condition of material.
[Identification of item]. Wing Chong Company Grocery & Squid Industry Records. Collection Number: ARC 542. Monterey Public
Library
Gift
Biography/Administrative History
The Wing Chong Company bought squid caught by local fishermen, established drying operations, and sold the dried squid to
suppliers in Hong Kong and Vancouver, British Columbia. The fish boat owners, organized as the Monterey Sardine Fishermen
Association, fished for and sold squid to Yee after fishing for sardines. In fact, Yee's squid operation was second only to
sardines in Monterey's fishing economy. Yee arranged for the precious dried squid to be shipped to San Francisco, where the
Wing Chong Company enlisted an exporter to handle shipping overseas.
According to W. L. Scofield in a California Fish and Game report, "The profits made from drying and shipping squid to China
are commonly credited with being fairly large, but exact figures are not available." This collection provides documentation,
which helps to fill this gap.
Yee Won established his store in 1918 on Ocean Avenue west of the McAbee Beach Chinatown. Yee named his store and company,
Wing Chong or "Glorious, Successful." The store, catering mainly to cannery workers, sold food, notions, and equipment, including
fishing tackle and rubber boots. Yee also established a squid drying operation in 1924. With fewer Chinese fishermen available
in the 1920s, Yee began buying squid from Sicilian fishermen. He paid eight dollars per ton for squid at the wharf.
The Wing Chong Company bought squid by local fishermen, established drying operations, and sold the dried squid to suppliers
in Hong Kong and Vancouver, British Columbia. The fishing boat owners, organized as the Monterey Sardine Fishermen Association,
fished for and sold squid to Wing Chong Company after fishing for sardines. Yee's squid operation became second only to sardines
in Monterey's fishing economy.
Won Yee leased land from T. A. Work on the Monterey-Salinas highway (Highway 68) across from the Monterey airfield. He hauled
fresh squid to the drying fields located on this acreage, commonly known as Tarpey Flats, where the squid were soaked in brine
and spread on the ground to dry. Both Chinese and non-Chinese employees were hired to work for twenty-five cents per hour.
Drying took from twelve to fifteen days.
Won Yee also created equipment to clean dirt and straw from the dried squid and then compress them into tight bales. By 1932,
the economic depression and shifting markets had diminished the squid market. Then, on February 21, 1934, Won Yee died. Won
Yee's son, Yock "Jack" Hing Yee, and his long-time business partner, C. L. Sam, continued to run the market on Cannery Row.
Won and Yock Yee, along with the grocery store, served as inspiration for Lee Chong and his market in John Steinbeck’s novel
Cannery Row.
Scope and Content of Collection
Organized into two series: record books and file records and arranged chronologically within each unit.
Business enterprises
Grocery trade
Asian American grocers
Chinese business
Squid industry
Yee, Won
Sam, C. L.
Yee
Wing Chong Company
Pacific Biological Laboratories
New Monterey (Monterey, CA)
Cannery Row (Monterey, CA)
Monterey, CA
Account books
Checks
Invoices