Chinese migrants first came to Montana in the 1860s with other fortune seekers drawn by the discovery of gold. While Chinese miners did work in the gold fields of southwestern Montana, by the 1880s and 1890s most worked in laundries, restaurants, gardens, and other service industries. Reaching a peak of more than 2,500 Chinese Montanans in 1890, their work was key to helping the development of Montana, though their presence was not always appreciated. Chinese Montanans faced frequent discrimination and attempts to expel them from the region. Specifically, laws including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 targeted people of Chinese ethnicity and limited their ability to enter the United States or have full rights while in the country. For instance, Chinese immigrants were barred from becoming naturalized citizens, a right available to all other immigrant groups. Frequent economic boycotts across Montana sought to reduce the economic viability of Chinese businesses with the hope of expelling Chinese Montanans from the region. Despite these obstacles, Chinese Montanans persevered, fought for their rights, and made important contributions to the region’s development.

--

Portrait of an Asian woman

Formal studio portrait of an unidentified Asian woman, possibly Chinese, holding a fan and an umbrella.

Song, a young Chinese man

Portrait of Song, a young Chinese man, taken in a photographic studio in Helena, Montana. Print was a part of Norman Holter's estate when he died, between 1880-1920

Ching Tong, cook on Daly Special Car on the Northern Pacific Railroad

Portrait of Ching Tong, cook on Marcus Daly's special car on the Northern Pacific Railroad. Portrait is a head-and-shoulders view in an oval border. Hand-written note on verso of print reads, 'Robert A. O'Hara, Esq., Your Friend, Very Respectfully, Ching Tong, Sep. 5th, 1892.' Photographer's imprint on verso: 'Shew's Photographic Art Studio, Life size and Instantaneous Photographs a specialty, 523 Kearny St., San Francisco, Cala. Circa 1892.

Chinese woman in Oriental dress

Portrait of Chinese woman in Oriental dress. Location unknown, but possibly from Montana.

Woman at her cabin, Virginia City, Montana

View of a woman (identified as Chinese) standing in front of a log cabin. The woman appears to be Soo Liang, also known as 'Chinese Susie.' August 1899.

Chinese Families

Most Chinese immigrants who came to Montana were men. Two factors were most significant in causing this trend. First, Chinese cultural preference for men to leave villages in southern China to find work abroad led to far more men migrating for work. Second, American immigration restrictions, specifically the 1875 Page Act, made it very difficult for Chinese women to immigrate. This led to a severe gender imbalance with far more Chinese men in Montana than Chinese women. Additionally, in Montana from 1909 to 1953, Chinese people were not allowed to marry outside their race. By 1900, there were forty Chinese men for every one Chinese woman in Montana. These factors made it difficult for Chinese American families to take root. The only exception to this was that the Chinese Exclusion Act did allow for Chinese merchants to enter the U.S. and to bring in a spouse. With the few women who came in through this exception, some Chinese American families began in Montana. Children born to these families became American citizens due to their birth on American soil, the only way for someone of Chinese ethnicity to become a citizen until 1943.

--

Two women with two young children

Portrait of two women with two young children posed in a photographer's studio. The women are seated against a photographer’s backdrop with a table between them, holding flowers in a vase and two teacups. The children stand on either side of the younger woman, who is possibly their mother. They appear to be of Asian descent, possibly Chinese. Between 1910-1940.

Chinn Family, Butte, Montana

Group portrait of the Chinn Family at the Gibson Studio in Butte, Montana. Individuals are, left to right, Kay, Lou, William, Howard, Albert, Albert and Susan. Circa 1920.

Work - Mining

With the discovery of gold in California in the late-1840s, fortune seekers from around the world flocked to the American West. Among these migrants were thousands of Chinese miners hoping to strike it rich in the gold fields of the West. In Montana, Chinese miners were among the thousands of newcomers who came to the territory in the 1860s to seek riches along Grasshopper Creek, Alder Gulch, and Last Chance Gulch. Discriminatory taxes and laws that limited their ability to own mining claims made it increasingly difficult for Chinese miners to prosper in Montana. For these reasons, many Chinese migrants pursued other businesses, including work in laundries and restaurants that served the mining camps and other settlements across the Rocky Mountain region.

--

Mining Alder Gulch, M.T.

View of three men working a sluice box. Men are possibly Chinese. Placer mining in Alder Gulch, Montana. Copy of a photograph taken by W.H. Jackson during the Hayden Survey. Circa 1871.

Work - Railroad

A persistent problem in the American West during the mid-to-late nineteenth century was finding workers. As the plans for the transcontinental railroad took shape, owners of the Central Pacific Railroad turned to Chinese workers to help in the construction of the project. To aid in securing workers, the United States government signed the Burlingame Treaty in 1868 with the Chinese government which welcomed Chinese workers into the United States. Almost 20,000 Chinese workers helped complete the transcontinental railroad. In Montana, Chinese crews were crucial in building railroads across the territory. Specifically, the Northern Pacific Railroad, completed in 1883, was largely completed due to the labor or thousands of Chinese workers.

--

Chinese men at work on the O.R. & N. Co. railroad

1883 view of hillside being removed along track of Oregon Railway and Navigation Company railroad line while under construction somewhere along the Columbia River in Oregon, with Chinese construction crew in lower center of view. Vintage negative number: 1696

Chinese men section gang

1890 view of five Chinese men on handcar, foreground. They are wearing straw hats. Only one faces the camera. Possibly taken in Oregon. Vintage negative number: 3880.

Along the Clark's Fork, Montana (N.P. tracks and hand car)

Five Chinese men and two white men on handcar. River and rocky cliffs in distance. Vintage negative number: 43 (Fee '90). Aug. 1890.

Work - Mercantile

In towns with enough of a Chinese population, Chinese mercantile shops served the community’s needs. Run by Chinese merchants who were exempt from the Chinese Exclusion Act, these shops imported goods from China that met the needs of fellow countrymen so far from home. These mercantile shops also aided in communication between family members separated by thousands of miles. Letter writing services helped workers stay in touch with family members back in southern China and banking services helped Chinese Montanans transfer funds to family members back in home villages.

--

Chung Own's Store in Chinese section of Virginia City, Montana

View of an unidentified Chinese man standing in the doorway of Chung Own's store in the Chinese section of Virginia City, Montana. The man may be Chung Own. Sign on building reads in English, 'Chung Own, Dealer in Chinese merchandise.' There are two Chinese characters on the sign as well. Between 1896-1905.

Wah Chong Tai Company, Butte, Montana

View of the interior of the Wah Chong Tai Company store in Butte, Montana, with seven men standing among the counters and display cases around the store. Between 1900-1910.

Work - Laundries

With boomtowns springing up quickly across Montana, services to support the population were needed. Chinese entrepreneurs started laundries because the business required little investment or equipment and did not require mastery of English to serve customers’ needs. Whether it was the one Chinese laundry in Miles City or more than 30 in Butte in the 1890s, Chinese laundries provided important services in Montana’s towns and cities.

--

Huffman Studio in Early Days

1882 view of L. A. Huffman's Miles City studio on east Main Street from boardwalk. Sign reads "See Huffman Portraits, Natn'l Park and N. P. Views." Other visible businesses include Sing Lee's Chinese Laundry, a meat market, and a real estate office. Vintage negative number : (no number).

R.L. Polk & Co.'s Kalispell city directory and Flathead and Lincoln Counties directory 1909-1910

A directory of people living in Kalispell and Flathead County. May include occupation, employer, address and other information. Lists farmers and where their land is located along with the number of acres and value. Also includes some information about Flathead County and its towns. Also known as Polk's Kalispell city directory.

Work - Restaurants

Chinese restaurants were a frequent feature across Montana’s towns. These restaurants catered to Chinese and non-Chinese customers, serving affordable meals to all. Many featured Chop Suey, a dish that emerged first in America with a stir-fried combination of meat and vegetables combined with a simple gravy.

--

Sam's Cafe on West Front Street, Missoula

Sam's Cafe at 137 West Front Street, Missoula, Montana.

Discrimination

In addition to immigration restrictions limiting Chinese migrants from coming to America and legal restrictions that limited their ability to become citizens, Chinese residents of Montana faced discrimination in more direct and personal ways. At times, violence against Chinese Montanans or their businesses broke out. The most frequent method used by anti-Chinese forces was to urge boycotts of Chinese-run businesses. These boycotts began against Chinese laundries in Helena in the 1860s and frequently recurred throughout the 1880s and 1890s in Anaconda, Butte, Deer Lodge, Dillon, and more sites across Montana.

--

Montana real west show

Cloth backed poster by American Show Print, Milwaukee Company. Color illustration of five cowboys on horseback riding through town with guns firing. A Chinese man is shown running away. "Montana real west show" is in large text added above the main illustration. "Cowboys' celebration" is in smaller text included with the illustration. Approximately 1909.

Rita LaVoie interview transcript, 1981 Dec. 19

Topics include her childhood in Milltown, ca. 1910-1920; her work as a young housewife and mother in the 1920s; the ethnic groups in Milltown; and the impact of national social movements and world events on that community.

MELCHER: The Chinese people in World, during World War Two were they discriminated here in Missoula, Montana?

LAVOIE: Well, the Chinese were discriminated against period in some places. I know my father, oh my goodness I was, well I don’t know how old I was maybe twenty two, he had come to Coeur d’Alene Idaho to see me and we went into Spokane and we were looking for a restaurant and we went to three different places and he noticed there were Chinese and absolutely wouldn’t go in there at all. And then when he went back East, my mother and he and my brother had gone back to visit my grandmother it was 1936 and my grandmother had raised a little Chinese baby from a week old and he and Charlie became very good friends so he sort of changed his mind about that. But poor Charlie had a hard time, my grandmother had to fight his battles, they picked on him bad in Edmonton New Brunswick cause he was Chinese. His father came to the west coast and married and went back there when he was a young boy to visit and when he came to the door he said, “We don’t allow Chinese here.” See he had grown up with that idea too not realizing when he had the name St. Pierre but when he married he took his name Wong.

Fighting for Rights

Boycotting Chinese-run businesses was a frequent tactic used by anti-Chinese forces to try to drive the Chinese Montanans from the region. In 1896-1897 a major effort, led by Butte’s labor unions, targeted Chinese business including laundries, restaurants, gardens, and more. Boycotters stood outside Chinese businesses intimidating customers from entering or using any services provided by the Chinese community. Anti-Chinese forces followed Chinese deliverymen on their routes to identify those who were dealing with Chinese businesses and then intimidate them to stop these partnerships. More aggressive boycotters entered Chinese businesses and forcibly removed customers. Hum Fay and other leaders of Butte’s Chinese community advocated for their rights. They took their concerns to the mayor, the chief of police, and the city attorney asking for protection against the boycott. When this failed, the Chinese leaders decided to fight the boycott through the court system. They secured the services of attorney Wilbur Fisk Sanders, famed member of the Vigilantes from the 1860s who had gone on to an impressive political career, to represent them in their suit against the boycotters. Hum Fay testified about the tactics of the boycotters, how much the boycott had affected business in Chinese establishments, and the unwillingness of city officials to help stop the boycott. With the help of Sanders and the support from Butte’s large Chinese community, Hum Fay and his fellow petitioners won the case with an injunction issued to prevent similar discrimination against Butte’s Chinese residents.

--

Hearing for Chinese boycott case in Butte, Montana

1898 view of the hearing room during a hearing for the Chinese boycott case, Hum Fay, et al. vs. Frank Baldwin, et al. heard in U.S. Ninth Circuit Court, District of Montana, in Butte, Montana. Men in suits sit in semi-circle around a table. Two of the men are identified by numbers written in above their heads: 1. Henry N. Blake, a judge and former chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court, and 2. Wilbur F. Sanders, a lawyer for Hum Fay and former U.S. Senator.

Wilbur Fisk Sanders

Wilbur Fisk Sanders, circa 1890 photo portrait.

Portion of Hum Fay testimony, 1898

Portion of testimony from Hum Fay concerning the alleged boycott (December 1896-April 1897) of Chinese and Japanese business establishments in Butte, Montana. From Hum Fay, et al. vs. Frank Baldwin, et al. records, 1898. The case was heard in U.S. Ninth Circuit Court, District of Montana in 1898. The records consist of four volumes of testimony.

Becoming American

Throughout the early 20th century, Montana’s Chinese population continued to decline. By 1940, the Chinese community in Montana had declined to less than 300. Ironically, it was during the 1940s that major changes came to the status of Chinese residents in America. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor not only brought the United States into World War II, it also brought an alliance between China and America. Since China had been fighting against Japanese expansion since the mid-1930s, American officials decided to rethink the Chinese Exclusion Act, in effect since 1882, and the restrictions on Chinese residents in America from becoming American citizens. The passage of the Magnuson Act in 1943 ended the Chinese Exclusion Act and allowed for Chinese immigrants to become naturalized citizens. As the photos illustrate, Chinese Americans served in the U.S. military, raised families, finally allowed to become full participants in American society after decades of perseverance against discrimination and exclusion.

--

Military Enlistments (Montana), World War II

This digital collection is comprised of State of Montana enlistment cards for all branches in World War II, arranged alphabetically by surname.

Three Chinese American men in military uniform

View of three men, likely of Chinese-American descent, posed standing in military uniforms in front of a building in an unknown location. Between 1940-1949.

Two Chinese American men and a toddler, Yvonne Chinn

View of two Chinese American men and a two-year-old toddler, Yvonne Chinn. The man holding Yvonne is unidentified and the man on the right is Yvonne's Uncle Wing. The location is not provided but may be Butte, Montana. Circa 1951.

Exhibit Author: Mark T. Johnson

Bibliography

Stacy Flaherty, “Boycott in Butte: Organized Labor and the Chinese Community, 1896-1897,” Montana: The Magazine of Western History 37, no. 1 (Winter 1987): 34-47.

Mark T. Johnson, The Middle Kingdom under the Big Sky: A History of the Chinese Experience in Montana (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2022).

Mark T. Johnson, “The War of the Woods: Montana’s Chinese Wood Choppers and Their Unlikely Allies, 1880-1900,” Montana: The Magazine of Western History 72, no. 3 (Autumn 2022): 22-40.

Robert J. Swartout, Jr. “From Guangdong to Big Sky: The Chinese in Montana, 1864-1900,” in Montana: A Cultural Medley, ed. Robert J. Swartout, Jr. (Helena, MT: Farcountry Press, 2015), 94-120.

Photo and Document Credits

ImagineIF Libraries - Kalispell  

Montana Historical Society Research Center 

University of Montana Mansfield Library