Unearthing Sandpoint’s Chinatown: the Archaeology of Sandpoint, Idaho’s Overseas Chinese

Summary

Established in the early 1880s, Sandpoint, Idaho became a bustling railroad and lumber town with commercial businesses sprouting up along the Northern Pacific railroad tracks. Overseas Chinese came through the town when building the railroad, but quickly moved on along with the construction. Who then, were the Overseas Chinese that came and settled, making Sandpoint their home? Archaeological investigations of the original town site uncovered a structure referred to as Sandpoint’s "Chinatown" within the city's historical records. While this "Chinatown" area may be small, excavations yielded a plethora of artifacts that give a glimpse into the lives of these Sandpoint residents. This paper will discuss the artifacts recovered from this "Chinatown," and shed more light on the lives of Overseas Chinese in northern Idaho.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• New and Innovative Approaches to Overseas Chinese Archaeology

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology