Pioneer Square in Seattle in King County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)

Chun Ching Hock

First Chinese Immigrant Businessman in Seattle

— 1868 —

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, February 20, 2026

1. First Chinese Immigrant Businessman in Seattle Marker

Inscription.
Chun Ching Hock (center, with cane, in photo) is believed to be the first immigrant from China to establish a business in Seattle. His Wa Chong Company was initially housed near here before it moved inland to Chinatown.

Chun Ching Hock provided labor contracting and operated several general stores in the Northwest. He supplied workers who helped build some of the area’s first roads as well as key parts of the channel that would become the Lake Washington Ship Canal.

“He built big buildings because on the main floor he could lease them out as businesses…laundries and restaurants and things like that...then in the upper floors there were rooms to rent, for the laborers to live in. So he built a community.”
Teresa Woo-Murray, Chung Ching Hock’s Great-Great-Grandaughter

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Immigration • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.

Location. 47° 36.064′ N, 122° 20.176′ W. Marker is in Seattle, Washington, in King County. It is in Pioneer Square. It is at the intersection of Alaskan Way (State Highway 99) and South Washington Street, on the right when traveling south on Alaskan Way. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 199 Alaskan Wy, Seattle WA 98104, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Washington’s Puget Sound Region.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast,

in the Pacific Northwest,

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Cascade Range,

in the Inside Passage,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Who Belongs Here? / Violence & Vitriol (within shouting distance of this marker); Indians Attack Seattle! Jan. 26, 1856 (within shouting distance of this marker); Seattle’s First Pier (within shouting distance of this marker); Ballast Island (within shouting distance of this marker); Who landed here? (within shouting distance of this marker); Pioneer Square Hotel (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); What was Yesler’s Way? / How did a parking garage spark a preservation movement? (about 300 feet away); Maynard Building (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Seattle.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Steamer Idaho Wreckage (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed).

More about this marker. The marker resides just north of the historic boat landing.

Also see . . . Historic South Downtown Oral Histories: Teresa Woo-Murray Talks About Her Great-great-grandfather, C.

Teresa Woo-Murray is an artist and the great-great-granddaughter of Chun Ching Hock (1844-1927), Seattle's first Chinese immigrant, and she has done extensive research into his life and businesses. Woo-Murray was interviewed on September 18, 2015 for a project HistoryLink
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, February 20, 2026

2. Chun Ching Hock Marker
did in partnership with Historic South Downtown to document the historical connections between the Chinatown International District and Pioneer Square neighborhoods and the central waterfront. Dominic Black talked with Woo-Murray about Chun Ching Hock and his life.

(Submitted on March 6, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 6, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 41 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 6, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.