Wood Streets in Riverside in Riverside County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Welcome

Photographed by Adam Margolis, February 16, 2025

1. Welcome Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

This garden honors the many contributions of the Chinese community throughout the history of Riverside. The second Chinatown site in Riverside was situated along Tequesquite Avenue between Brockton Avenue and Pine Street.

The Chinese characters on the basalt column welcome visitors into the garden and park.

歡迎
[Welcome]

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Immigration • Parks & Recreational Areas.

Location. 33° 58.642′ N, 117° 23.437′ W. Marker is in Riverside, California, in Riverside County. It is in Wood Streets. It is at the intersection of Palm Avenue and Tequesquite Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Palm Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5000 Tequesquite Ave, Riverside CA 92501, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles,

in the Inland Empire,

and in the Peninsular Ranges.

It is also in the American Southwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: United Spanish War Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Jarvis House (approx. 0.4 miles away); Devine House (approx.

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0.4 miles away); Gail Egenes (approx. half a mile away); Henry Van Dyke (approx. half a mile away); Mount Rubidoux (approx. half a mile away); Fr. Junipero Serra (approx. half a mile away); Grant Elementary School (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Riverside.

More about this marker. Located in Ryan Bonaminio Park, at the easternmost point where Palm Avenue and Tequesquite Avenue diverge.

Also see . . .
1. Riverside's Chinatowns (University of California at Riverside). Excerpt:

The first Chinatown in Riverside was in the downtown area, centered on Ninth Street. It included laundries, small restaurants, and more. A fire destroyed most of its structures and led to the establishment of a second Chinatown in 1885 in the Tequesquite Arroyo, in the shadow of Mt. Rubidoux on the outskirts of the city. This small community had as many as four hundred Chinese residents at some points. Many of them were from Gom-Benn, a village in the Toishan region of southern China; many had the family name Wong. Chinatown was sometime referred to as "Little Gom-Benn."

Another fire destroyed this Chinatown in 1893 but it was again rebuilt,
Photographed by Adam Margolis, February 16, 2025

2. Welcome Marker
featuring brick and wooden buildings, including a small temple. It included shops, a butcher, laundries, and residences, and it provided a number of services for migrant Chinese laborers. By the 1930s, it was in decline due to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and dwindling numbers of Chinese in the area.

(Submitted on May 15, 2026.)

2. Exploring Riverside's Chinese American History (Youtube, 8:38). (Submitted on May 15, 2026.)

Photographed by Adam Margolis, February 16, 2025

3. Welcome Marker

Photographed by Adam Margolis, February 16, 2025

4. Welcome Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 15, 2026, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. This page has been viewed 27 times since then. Last updated on June 25, 2026, by Volt Craft of Riverside, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 15, 2026, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.