Children get a closeup view of the Chinatown Gardens mural which incorporates pottery fragments found onsite.
The Chinatown Gardens Archaeological District near Mokelumne Hill, CA was revealed after a fire removed a 100-year-old cover of blackberry vines from the hillside. It is the only known extant commercial Chinese garden in California. Used from 1848 to 1898, these gardens were once commonplace during the Chinese Diaspora. They occurred with the settlement of the American West.
Beginning in the mid-19th century, Chinese immigrants came to central California. Many joined the Gold Rush in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Some became miners, while others became merchants who provided the immigrants with familiar goods and food. Because of discriminatory legislation passed by Congress, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and a devastating fire in 1898, many Chinese people left the area and abandoned the gardens.
Chinese populations have traditionally been omitted from written histories. Despite making up 22% of the population of Calaveras County in 1860, the historic Chinese population of Mokelumne Hill is no exception. This omission highlights the importance of preserving archaeological remains representing Chinese and other non-White communities.
Location of Chinatown Gardens temple.
Mokelumne Hill History Society
The significance of the Chinatown Gardens Archaeological Preserve was recognized by the Mokelumne Hill History Society (MHHS). When the 4-acre property came up for sale in 2015, the Society acquired it. Under their care, the property was cleared, and features were identified and preserved. There are many survivng features of the gardens, including:
- terrace walls that supported leveled areas used for growing food
- a rock-lined stream diversion channel
- remains of a constructed pond that was reportedly used to grow water chestnuts
- a platform supported by stone retaining walls was likely used as a loading dock
- a rock-lined cistern
- diversion ditches
- the remains of at least three houses that may have belonged to garden caretakers
- a stone roasting oven
- the foundation of what was once a Buddhist temple
Due to MHHS’s efforts, the Chinatown Gardens Archaeological District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. The Conservancy would especially like to thank MHHS member Julia Costello who brought the property to the Conservancy’s attention and facilitated its purchase. The garden’s location in the center of the present-day Mokelumne Hill community makes it an ideal location to educate the public about the importance of archaeology. It also provides an excellent opportunity for visitors to learn more about the contribution of historic Chinese populations during the settlement of the western United States.
Virtual Tour
Take a virtual tour of the Chinatown Gardens Archaeological Preserve with Western Regional Field Representative Linsie Lafayette and Archaeologist/Archivist Julia Costello.
