Tombstone in Cochise County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Hoptown
Chinese Section
1879
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 9, 2014
1. Hoptown Marker
Inscription.
Hoptown. Chinese Section. In 1879 there were 11 people in Tombstone of Chinese descent. By 1882 there were 250. The area between 2nd and 3rd and Allen and Toughnut was the area where they lived and had businesses, commonly called "Hoptown". The Chinese ran laundries, restaurants, grew vegetables and were laborers, houseboys, servants and prostitutes. Quong Kee began the famous Can Can Restaurant with partner Ah Lum. Ah Lum's wife, China Mary, was said to control "Hoptown. She was an employment broker who guaranteed that her employees would not cheat or steal. She also ran the opium dens and Chinese prostitution. At one point there was an Anti-Chinese League formed that asked residents to refuse to trade with Chinese owned businesses. In spite of this, many Chinese operated long term successful businesses. There is a Chinese section in Boot Hill Graveyard where China Mary and Quong Kee are buried.
In 1879 there were 11 people in Tombstone of Chinese descent. By 1882 there were 250. The area between 2nd and 3rd and Allen and Toughnut was the area where they lived and had businesses, commonly called "Hoptown". The Chinese ran laundries, restaurants, grew vegetables and were laborers, houseboys, servants and prostitutes. Quong Kee began the famous Can Can Restaurant with partner Ah Lum. Ah Lum's wife, China Mary, was said to control "Hoptown. She was an employment broker who guaranteed that her employees would not cheat or steal. She also ran the opium dens and Chinese prostitution. At one point there was an Anti-Chinese League formed that asked residents to refuse to trade with Chinese owned businesses. In spite of this, many Chinese operated long term successful businesses. There is a Chinese section in Boot Hill Graveyard where China Mary and Quong Kee are buried.
Erected 2009 by Tombstone Restoration Commission. (Marker Number 41.)
110° 4.107′ W. Marker is in Tombstone, Arizona, in Cochise County. It is on South 3rd Street south of East Allen Street, on the right when traveling south. Marker is located along the sidewalk, between the Four Deuces Saloon and the Saloon Theater. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 109 South 3rd Street, Tombstone AZ 85638, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Sky Islands and in Southeastern Arizona. It is also in the American Southwest. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also the Gadsden Purchase.
3. 115, 117, 119 South 3rd Street (south of marker on South 3rd Street)
This 1881 double adobe was the site of Garet & Pages Wagon Shop. To your left was the charcoal yard. Charcoal was a primary source of heat for both forges and homes in the early 1880s. This block was part of “Hop Town,” the heart of Tombstones Chinese community. Double rows of adobe bricks form walls 18” thick – keeping the interior cool in summer and warm in winter.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 9, 2014
4. 115, 117, 119 South 3rd Street (south of marker on South 3rd Street)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 3, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 15, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,869 times since then and 101 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 16, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
