Eureka’s Chinese Expulsion of 1885 and 1906

Eureka’s Chinese Expulsion of 1885 and 1906. . Here, on the block of land bounded by E, F, 4th, and 5th streets, over 300 Chinese people once lived in a bustling Chinatown. But high unemployment, economic uncertainty, and a perceived competition for jobs served as excuses for anti-Chinese hate. Across the Pacific Northwest, a brutal wave of ethnic cleansing followed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first U.S. law to ban immigration by race. , On February 6, 1885, a white Eureka city councilman was accidentally killed by a stray bullet. The blame fell on two Chinese men. That night, a mob of over 600 gathered near Chinatown and erected a gallows at the corner of 5th and F streets. Eureka leaders ordered all Chinese people to leave within 24 hours. Fearing for their lives, families were forced to leave behind furniture, merchandise, shrimp boats, and vegetable farms. Charlie Moon, a ranch hand, and Chinese miners near Orleans were among the few who remained. , By 1886, Chinese residents were driven out of Arcata, Crescent City, and nearby towns. Eureka’s segregated one-block Chinatown was obliterated., Across California, the Chinese people fought back. They organized the first general strike in California. Vegetable growers boycotted households and hotels that supported the expulsions. In 1886, Eureka’s displaced Chinese community sued the City in the historic Wing Hing vs. the City of Eureka, one of our nation’s first lawsuits for reparations., By acknowledging this legacy of racism, we hope to move towards a more inclusive future that builds bridges between the diverse communities of Humboldt County.