Day 74: Ah Toy Garden, Warren, Idaho
📌APIA Every Day (74) - The Ah Toy Garden, located 10.5 miles from central Idaho's Warren Mining District on China Mountain, spans approximately 3 acres and stands out as one of the most complex and remote among the three Chinese terraced gardens. Preserving historical attributes from the late 1880s to 1920, the site offers a view of the South Fork of the Salmon River. Until around 1910, the garden functioned as food source for the Chinese community to grow vegetables and fruits so that traditional diets could be maintained while community members worked the mines. The garden produced a variety of vegetables, strawberries, grapes, and rhubarb for commercial sale.
The site features remnants of the Old China Trail, rock cairns, and an irrigation system. In 1988, the excavated reconstructed dugout revealed artifacts left behind by Chinese immigrants, including metal hoe blades, opium pipe fragments, and Chinese ceramics. These artifacts hold historical importance, providing insights into the presence of Chinese immigrants in the Idaho mining district.
While there is limited information available about the site, ongoing reconstruction and preservation plans outlined by the Payette National Forest present an opportunity for more extensive academic research and interpretive exhibits. The Ah Toy Garden preserves remnants of Chinese immigrant communities in the American Northwest, contributing to a deeper understanding of Chinese immigrant history from the late 19th to the early 20th century. The site was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 27, 1990.
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