Chinese Lives in Wyoming – An Overview of Immigrant Lives in Wyoming from 1868 to 1937

Chinese immigrants from Toishan (Taishan) and elsewhere in Guangdong Province contributed much to the development of transportation, merchandising, and mining in southwestern Wyoming. Initially it was thought that these immigrants only worked on the railroad in 1869, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that in that year men from southern China operated laundries and entered the coal industry. The lives and contributions of the men and women from southern China will be discussed as will their overcoming being forcibly removed from Almy coal mines on September 2nd 1885. Significantly, Chinese grit and tenacity led them to persevere in reforming their communities after their removal from Almy and the attack on Chinatown in Rock Springs on the same day. These two tragic events cannot be overlooked, but the ability of the immigrants to overcome the tragedy and form new communities in Wyoming that endured for decades will be a point of focus.

Dudley Gardner is Professor Emeritus at Western Wyoming Community College (WWCC) and Principal Investigator for the Western Archaeological and Anthropological Research Institute (WAARI) in Rock Springs, Wyoming. He received his B.A. in English from Lee College, his M.A. in history from Colorado State University, and his Ph.D. in History from University of  New Mexico. Dudley has extensive archaeology experience working on various projects as Project Manager, Crew Chief, and Crew Member in Wyoming, Tennessee, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, California, Utah, Colorado, Easter Island, Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand, Southern China, and Mongolia. He is currently working on the Yale University Tarvagatai Valley project in Mongolia and Burgastai Valley and is the Principal Investigator for projects in Wyoming, Colorado, New Zealand, Fiji and Montana. Dudley has extensive teaching experience and has published numerous books, government publications and articles.

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