Morrison Wong papers
Finding aid prepared by Julianna Gil, Student Processing Assistant.
Special Collections & University Archives
The UCR Library
P.O. Box 5900
University of California
Riverside, California 92517-5900
Phone: 951-827-3233
Fax: 951-827-4673
Email: specialcollections@ucr.edu
URL: http://library.ucr.edu/libraries/special-collections-university-archives
© 2018
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Morrison Wong papers
Date (inclusive): 1903-1994; undated
Collection Number: UA 099
Creator:
Wong, Morrison Gideon, 1948-
Extent:
6.71 linear feet
(9 boxes)
Repository:
Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
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.
Languages: The collection is in English and Japanese.
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
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.
Acquisition Information
Provenance unknown.
Processing History
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.
Historical Note
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.
Collection Scope and Contents
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.
Collection Arrangment
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
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Riverside (Calif.)
Inland Empire (Calif.)
Japanese Americans
Chinatowns
Immigrants
Series 1. Interviews and biographies
1904-1980, undated
Sub-Series 1.1. Fujimoto family
1975
Box 1, Folder 3, Box 8
Mable Bristol interview and biography
1975
Box 1, Folder 4, Box 8
George Fujimoto, Jr. interview
1975
Sub-Series 1.2. Harada family
1915-1976
Box 1, Folder 7, Box 8
Sumi Harada interview
1974
Box 1, Folder 8, Box 8
Mine Harada Kido interview
undated
Box 1, Folder 9
Nomination of Harada House as a Riverside Cultural Heritage Landmark
1976
Box 1, Folder 10
The People of the State of California vs. Jukishi Harada, et al.
1915
Sub-Series 1.3. Hino family
1966-1975
Box 1, Folder 13
Robert Hino biography
1975
Box 1, Folder 14
Madonna Kimiko Hino pedigree chart
1966
Sub-Series 1.4. Martha Iseda
1946-1951, undated
Box 1, Folder 20
Martha Iseda interview (side 1)
undated
Box 1, Folder 21
The Frank Miller Story
undated
Box 1, Folder 22
Martha Iseda's newspaper clippings; "Rafu Shimpo"
1946-1951
Sub-Series 1.5. Kaneko family
1904-1980
Box 1, Folder 23
Arthur Yoshio Kaneko articles
1917-1979
Box 1, Folder 24
Riverside Polytechnic High School Commencement
1904
Box 1, Folder 25
Robin Kaneko interview
undated
Box 1, Folder 26
Ulysses Shinsei Kaneko biography
1980
Sub-Series 1.6. Lewis family
1976
Box 8
Mayor Ben Lewis of Riverside interview
1976
Box 1, Folder 28
Mrs. Ben Lewis interview
undated
Sub-Series 1.7. Other interviews and biographies
1975-1976, undated
Box 1, Folder 1, Box 8
Mr. & Mrs. Tatsuo Abe interview
1975
Box 1, Folder 2
Frank Doi interview
undated
Box 1, Folder 6
Jesse Halverson interview
undated
Box 1, Folder 11, Box 8
Mrs. Doris Higa & Mrs. Nancy Takano interviews
1975
Box 1, Folder 12, Box 8
Homer Hill biography
undated
Box 1, Folder 15
Yoshiko Hirata biography
undated
Box 1, Folder 16, Box 8
Edwin C. Hiroto interview
1976
Box 1, Folder 17, Box 8
Chigashi Inaba interview
undated
Box 1, Folder 18, Box 8
Kiri Inaba interview
undated
Box 1, Folder 19
Eugene Inoyue biography
undated
Box 1, Folder 27, Box 8
Katsuhei Komura interview
undated
Box 8
Mr. & Mrs. S. Madokoro interview
undated
Box 1, Folder 29, Box 8
Kazuo Muramoto interview
undated
Box 1, Folder 30, Box 8
Masami Muramoto interview
undated
Box 1, Folder 31, Box 8
June Nakamura interview
undated
Box 1, Folder 32
Dolly Ogata interview
1975
Box 1, Folder 33, Box 8
Etsuo Ogawa biography
undated
Box 1, Folder 34, Box 8
George Sakoguchi interview
1976
Box 8
Sanematsu Family interview
undated
Box 1, Folder 35, Box 8
Frank T. Shintani interview
1975
Box 1, Folder 36
Dr. Sho Takeda biograhies
undated
Box 1, Folder 37
Stephen K. Tamura interview
undated
Box 1, Folder 38, Box 8
Mrs. Kathy Trevelyan & Mrs. Eva Yakutis interview
1976; undated
Box 1, Folder 39, Box 8
James Tsubota biography
undated
Box 1, Folder 40, Box 8
Mr. & Mrs. Heido Yoshida biography and interview
undated
Box 8
Rafu Shimpo interview
undated
Series 2. Japanese-American history in the Inland Empire
1903-1976, undated
Box 2, Folder 1
Family Correspondence
1945-1976
Box 2, Folder 2
Correspondence regarding the "UCR Japanese American in Riverside Research Project"
1975
Box 2, Folder 3
Information regarding the Japanese Evacuation
undated
Box 2, Folder 4
"The Japanese in Riverside" Study
undated
Box 2, Folder 5
Riverside Museum Historical Society - "Ethnic Minorities in Riverside, Japanese"
undated
Box 2, Folder 6
"Social Relations within the Japanese Community in Riverside"
1975
Box 2, Folder 7
Roy Ito - History of the Japanese Community in the Inland Empire
undated
Box 2, Folder 8
Calendar of research notes
1961-1964
Box 2, Folder 9
Family trees of Japanese Americans
undated
Box 2, Folder 10
Photocopied photographs of Japanese Americans
undated
Box 2, Folder 11
Translation of Articles by G. Sakoguchi and Rafu Shimpo
1955-1961
Box 2, Folder 12
Articles on Japanese land ownership in Riverside
1920
Box 2, Folder 13
Articles on Japanese Americans involved in World War II
undated
Box 2, Folder 14
Newspaper clippings in Japanese and English
1952-1955
Box 2, Folder 15
Newspaper clippings in Japanese
1956-1958
Box 2, Folder 16
Newspaper clippings in Japanese
1959-1961
Box 2, Folder 17
Newspaper clippings in Japanese
1961-1964
Box 2, Folder 18
Newspaper clippings in Japanese
1965-1967
Box 2, Folder 19
Newspaper clippings in Japanese
1903-1976
Box 8
Japanese in Riverside Library Lecture
1974
Box 9
Articles on the Japanese Community in Riverside (Microfilm)
undated
Box 9
Index Cards with Names and Addresses
undated
Series 3. Audio and visual materials
1984-1994, undated
Box 3
Tape T: RCT - Near End of Dig; Lab/ UCR Film Team/ Digging
undated
Box 3
Riverside Museum Exhibition of Chinese Dig; Lincoln's Birthday
1985
Box 3
Last Day, Last Tape; Blue Jay
1985
Box 3
Taping Inside Feature Without Tripod
1985
Box 3
Japanese American (#1 of 3)
undated
Box 3
Japanese American (#2 of 3)
undated
Box 3
Japanese American (#3 of 3)
undated
Box 3
The Eng Family Memories (Vol. 1 Part 1)
undated
Box 3
The Eng Family Memories (Vol. 1 Part 2)
undated
Box 3
The Eng Family Memories (Vol. 1)
undated
Box 3
The Eng Family Memories (Vol. 2)
undated
Box 4
Untitled Videocassette 1
undated
Box 4
Untitled Videocassette 2
undated
Box 4
Untitled Videocassette 3
undated
Untitled Videocassette 4
undated
Box 5
Untitled Videocassette 5
undated
Box 6
Tape 1: Opening Ceremonies - RCT; Speeches, Fireworks, Performances
1985
Box 6
Tape 2: Opening Ceremony
1985
Box 6
Tape 3: RCT Excavation
1985
Box 6
Tape 4: Field Lab, Explanations
1985
Box 6
Tape 5: Units 4/1 - Was Taped Before Tape 4
1985
Box 6
Tape 6: Paul & Basement #2/ Paul with Map
1985
Box 6
Tape C: Phase 1 - Backhoe Shots & Close Dig
undated
Box 6
Frontier Productions Stock Footage - Philippines 1994; Indigenous People
1994
Box 6
Sample Footage for Tutorial
undated
Box 6
The Story of Orange County
undated
Box 7
Rockefeller Retreat - Master for Dubs
1994
Box 7
Untited MBU 18s Tape
undated
Box 7
Tape H: RCT - Museum Archive Photos
undated
Box 7
Tape K: RCT/ At Mayor's Office
1985
Box 7
Tape L: RCT - Mayor's Reception & Chinese on Site
1985
Box 7
Tape R: Color Bars on Head
1985
Box 7
Tape U: Closeup of Lab Table
1985
