Near Imnaha in Wallowa County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)
Chinese Massacre Cove
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 24, 2019
1. Chinese Massacre Cove Marker
(The text of this marker is in English, Sahaptin (Nez Percι), and Chinese)
No one was held accountable.
1887 wiwapciyaawnin'
Mita' aptit wax piilept celmenm
maqsmaqs kicuy pi'lyaw'aat
Weet'u 'isii wepsisukin'
Erected 2012.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement • Notable Events. In addition, it is included in the Chinese Heritage Sites of the American West series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1887.
Location. 45° 46.68′ N, 116° 39.36′ W. Marker is near Imnaha, Oregon
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Oregon. It is also in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
More about this marker. This marker is located in Hells Canyon on the Snake River. The only practical access is by boat. There is supposed to be a trail, (instructions how to locate it) ; but you would have the be foolhardy or a gold miner (there isn't any) to try and use them.
Also see . . .
1. Hells Canyon massacre. The brutality of the Snake River atrocity was probably unexcelled, whether by whites or Indians, in all the anti-Chinese violence of the American West. After the first day's onslaught at Robinson Gulch, the killers wrecked and burned the camp and then threw the mutilated corpses into the Snake River. (Submitted on August 27, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)
2. Wikipedia article on Chinese Massacre Cove. (Submitted on May 8, 2020.)
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 24, 2019
2. Chinese Massacre Cove Marker
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 24, 2019
3. The only practical access to the Chinese Massacre Cove Marker is by boat.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 847 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 27, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
