OSHER 707 - Chinese Archaeology in North America

Facing turbulent times in their home country of China, Chinese immigrants traveled throughout the globe in the 19th century looking for economic opportunities and ways to better their lives and the lives of their families. In most parts of the Intermountain West, the Chinese population dwindled during the early 20th century, and we have only fragments of their story in newspaper clippings, photos, and remembrances, but archaeology can provide us another tool to help understand their lives from triumph to tragedy. This course will examine the history of the Chinese in the United States in the 19th and early 20th century, but also look at the archaeological legacy of these pioneers that still remain in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, and Montana.