Lots of updates today. Got New York updated as well as a few others. The telephone is still needed, even in the age of the Internet.

A great sounding Chinese New Year Event is in Wyoming. You may ask Wyoming, what does that have to do with Chinese in the US? Actually lots. There were two famous historical events that involved Chinese in Wyoming. One positive, and one negative. One was the building of the Transcontinental Railroad that employed a lot of Chinese (6000). The other was the Rock Springs Massacre where 28+ miners were killed and parts of the Chinatown were burned (75 houses). Chinese were working as coal miners.

The event is at a Joss House. Joss Houses were Taoist temples that doubled as community centers that were built in Chinatowns during the Gold Rush. I know of only a couple of Joss Houses that are still around. This one in Wyoming, another in Weaverville, Mendocino Joss House, and Handford. Lots more I just found a list of Historical Chinese Temples in California.

My daughter built a model of a Joss House Weaverville Model Project that you to can build (budget about 24 hours of parent time plus your students time). Yes, it was explained to the teacher that my daughter only did the landscaping and the rest was done by me, my parents, and my Father In Law (who did the Chinese Characters on the door). It was built instead of the usual California Mission.

Wyoming

Chinese Joss House Museum

February 8, 2008. 5:30PM with Dragon Parade starting at library. Ends at Joss House. Will be Rickshaw races on Main Street. Dinner afterwards at Beaming Cashing Building. - 920 Front Street (in Depot Square), Evanston, Wyoming 307-783-0370
www.evanstonwy.org or www.etownchamber.com

Associated Products/Resources:

Racism Against Chinese in the United States

				The Traitor by Laurence Yep, Gold Mountain Chronicles 1865
				Our Price: $6.99
				Story with background of the Rock Springs Massacre in Wyoming of Chinese Workers.

				Ten Mile Day
				Our Price: $7.95
				Building of the Transcontinental Railroad that linked the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Over 6000 Chinese worked on it at one point.

Labels: Chinese History, chinese new year