Morrison Wong papers, 1903-1994; undated

Summary

Creators:

Wong, Morrison Gideon, 1948-

Abstract:

The collection consists of interview transcripts and newspaper clippings related to the history of Japanese-Americans in the Inland Empire, particularly in Riverside, during the early half of the 20th century. Also included in the collection are videocassettes related to the Chinatown excavation in Riverside.

Extent:

6.71 linear feet (9 boxes)

Language:

The collection is in English and Japanese .

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [date if possible]. Morrison Wong papers (UA 099). Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains interview transcripts and tape recordings of Japanese Americans who lived while the Alien Land Law of 1913 was in place in California, as well as those who were evacuated to relocation centers and internment camps during World War II. The collection also contains newspapers written in Japanese and English, as well as sociological studies about Japanese Americans in Riverside. Also included in the collection are video cassettes related to the excavation of Riverside's Chinatowns.

The collection was created by Morrison Wong while working on his Ph.D. dissertation at UC Riverside in 1977.

Biographical / historical:

Riverside, California saw a sizeable community of Japanese immigrants contribute to the city's economy by the mind-1890s. Aside from working in the agricultural sector, many Japanese-Americans were business owners within the city.

Between 1895 and 1905, white laborers in Riverside and neighboring cities began attacking Japanese laborers in fear of economic competition. In 1896, Japanese businessman Ulysses Shinsei Kaneko became a naturalized American-citizen. Kaneko's citizenship made him the first Japanese immigrant in the Inland Empire of Southern California to obtain American citizenship.

In 1915, Jukichi Harada, an Issei restaurant owner, challenged the Alien Land Law, which prevented immigrants from owning property. When the state of California attempted to take the property from the Harada family, Harada took them to court, which eventually was escalataed to the California Superior Court under the name "The People of the State of California vs Jukichi Harada." The court decided in favor of Harada, marking a significant event for Japanese immigrants. Harada and his wife Ken died in the Topaz Relocation Center in Utah, where they were forcibly removed to at the beginning of World War II. The Harada House is now listed as a National Historic Landmark.

Before the start of World War II, Japanese-Americans had farms located primarily in the Arlington area and the northern part of Riverside, California. On May 23, 1942, Japanese-Americans living in Riverside were forcibly removed to different incarceration camps in Poston, Arizona, and Manzanar, California. Between March and May of 1942, over 200 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from Riverside and roughly 180 returned after World War II.

Aside from Japanese influence in Riverside, there were also two Chinatowns built, both of which are now gone. In the late 19th century, Chinese immigrants settled in Riverside and became central to the city's economy. The first Chinatown was located in the downtown area, but was later destroyed by a fire. This then led to the establishment of a second Chinatown in 1885. The second establishment was located in the Tequesquite Arroyo, which held a community of over four hundred Chinese residents. In 1893, the second Chinatown was destroyed by a fire but then rebuilt quickly. By the 1930s, the town's Chinese population was in decline due to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The last Chinatown resident was Wong Ho Leun, or George Wong.

Acquisition information:

Provenance unknown.

Processing information:

Processed by Julianna Gil, Student Processing Assistant, 2018.

Processing of the Morrison Wong papers was completed by undergraduate students from the University of California, Riverside as part of the Special Collections & University Archives Backlog Processing Project started in 2015. This project was funded by the UCR Library and administered by Andrew Lippert, Special Collections Processing Archivist.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into three series as follows:

• Series 1. Interviews, 1904-1980, undated
• Series 2. Japanese-American history in the Inland Empire, 1903-1976, undated
• Series 3. Audio and Visual materials, 1984-1994, undated

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Japanese Americans
Chinatowns
Immigrants

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [date if possible]. Morrison Wong papers (UA 099). Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.

Location of this collection:

UC Riverside, University Archives

University of California, Riverside - Special Collections and University Archives

P.O. Box 5900

Riverside, CA 92517-5900, US

Contact:

(951) 827-3233

specialcollections@ucr.edu

Website