Day 11 - Squak Valley, Issaquah, Washington
📌APIA Every Day (11) - The Squak Valley site of the Chinese massacre in 1885 (now Issaquah, WA) unfolded against a backdrop of anti-Chinese sentiment that swept through the American West during the 1880s. In an attempt to reduce labor costs, the Wold brothers, owners of a hop farm in Squak Valley, hired 37 Chinese workers to pick hops at a lower wage. This decision incited hostility from white and Native American hop pickers in the region who perceived the Chinese as a threat to their employment. The tension escalated on the night of September 7, 1885, when a group of five white men and two Native Americans attacked the Chinese camp, firing into the tents of sleeping laborers. Three Chinese men were killed, and three others were seriously wounded. Despite arrests and a trial, all the perpetrators were acquitted, reflecting the prevailing anti-Chinese sentiments of the time.
The Squak Valley incident was part of a broader wave of violence against Chinese workers in the Puget Sound region and beyond. The anti-Chinese agitation, exemplified by the Rock Springs Massacre in Wyoming on September 2, 1885, where 28 Chinese coal workers were killed, exacerbated the hostility towards Chinese immigrants. The massacre underscored the economic tensions and xenophobia prevalent in the region during this period, leading to the expulsion of Chinese communities from various towns. Despite legal proceedings, the perpetrators of the Squak Valley massacre faced little consequence, contributing to a broader climate of discrimination and violence against Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century American West.
No marker or designation recognizes the history at this site, which itself is difficult locate with accuracy. Since 2008, researcher/photographer Tim Greyhavens has helped identify and document these sites as part of the No Place Project.
LEARN MORE:
The No Place Project: Probable site of the Chinese camp
The No Place Project: Finding the Site of the Attack on the Chinese Laborers in Squak Valley (Full Paper by Tim Greyhavens)
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