The collection documents the everyday lives of 19th-century Chinese railroad workers living in Donner Summit, Donner Hotel, Virginia City, Bear Valley, Mokelumne Hill, Hornitos, and North San Juan. It includes information about their diet, leisure activities, and cultural practices. In sum, the collection provides great insights about the lives of 19th century Chinese immigrants during the United States expansion period when California was just a frontier state.

Paul G. Chace received his PhD from University of California, Riverside. He is a historian and ethnologist, as well as a CHSSC member. As a cultural resources consultant and an anthropologist, he specializes in cultural resources management, preservation law, and ethnic relations theory. His career spans 50 years of work conducting archaeological digs, museum work, curating, and teaching. He has lectured on topics such as Western prehistory and Chinese American cultural heritage. William S. Evans, Jr. or also known as Bill Evans, was a trained anthropologist, archaeologist, and geographer. He received his bachelor and master degrees from University of California, Berkeley. He served as the first curator at the Rancho Los Cerritos museum in Long Beach, California. Before retiring in 1985, he taught anthropology for two decades at Santa Monica College. Evans passed away in 2009.

15.94 linear feet (15 boxes)

The collection is open for qualified researchers.