Day 225: Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony, Placerville, California
📌APIA Every Day (225) - The Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony, founded in 1869 in Gold Hill, California, is the oldest Japanese settlement in North America and the only known samurai colony outside Japan. Established by John Henry Schnell, a Prussian arms dealer married into a samurai family, Schnell and a group of 22 Japanese immigrants brought silk cocoons, tea plants, and various agricultural tools to start a silk and tea farm. They purchased land from settler Charles Graner and saw initial success, showcasing their products, like silk and tea, at California fairs. However, the colony faced financial difficulties and ultimately dissolved within two years, by 1871.
A notable legacy of the colony is the grave of Okei Ito, a young woman from the settlement and thought to be the first Japanese woman buried on U.S. soil. After the colony disbanded, the Veerkamp family acquired the land, preserving Okei’s gravesite and maintaining the site’s historical integrity, even through periods of anti-Japanese sentiment in California. In 1969, to honor this legacy, Governor Ronald Reagan designated the property as a California Historical Landmark, recognizing its significance to Japanese-American history.
In 2010, the American River Conservancy (ARC) purchased the 272-acre farm to protect its cultural and historical value. Today, the site serves as a historical landmark where visitors can explore Japanese agricultural practices brought by the settlers, view preserved historical structures, and participate in events. Parts of the land are also leased to local farmers who practice sustainable agriculture, continuing the farm’s agricultural heritage and providing educational insights into the experiences of 19th-century Japanese immigrants. In 2009, the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
LEARN MORE:
National Archives Catalog: Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Colony Farm
American River Conservancy: Wakamatsu Farm
Nichi Bei News: 150 years later, Wakamatsu colony comes back to life
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