Crossroads of Cultures

Crossroads of Cultures. . This area was once the crossroads of several cultures in Astoria. Along the waterfront to the east and west were over 20 canneries with their hordes of workers, many of them Chinese. After 12 to 16 hours of hard work, the Chinese went home to crowded boarding houses along Astor and Bond Streets. Chinese grocery stores and laundries emitting the exotic smells, sounds, and aura of a country far away dotted these streets. Intermingled with them were the saloons, gambling houses, and brothels with their red lights and "shanghai" doors. To the west were the boarding houses of the Finnish fishermen and farther to the south were the comfortable homes of-the town's wealthier citizens. , Chinese immigrants with their families, ran grocery stores catering to the culinary needs of their countrymen and providing various imported items for the citizens of Astoria. These families prospered and became leaders in the community. Chinatown no longer exists but the descendants of the people who once populated the area are an integral part of the community and play an important role in Astoria's continuing history. Names such as Lum, Law, and Chan can still be found among the prominent people in Astoria today. , In 2001, just one block south of this site, a construction excavation unearthed a part of Astoria's colorful past. They found pieces of tobacco and opium pipes, medicine bottles, and a Chinese teapot. These items had been buried since the Astoria fire of 1922 that destroyed the business district as well as parts of Chinatown and the "Swilltown" saloon district.