-
May 19, 2006 9:10 pm US/Pacific
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
Chinese Descendants Mark A Somber Milestone
Devastating 1906 Fire Wiped Out Chinese Fishing Village
Sharon Chin
MONTEREY (CBS 5) ―
This week descendants of some of California's first Chinese immigrants are marking the anniversary of a devastating fire that changed their lives.
The story isn't just part of California history, but also part of this reporter's own heritage.
The ceremony off Monterey Bay recalled a fire 100 years ago that wiped out one of California's largest Chinese fishing villages.
The survivors' descendants pay their respects with food, drink and incense. "It does make me feel closer to ancestors I never knew," said Gerry Low-Sabado of Fremont.
A site at Point Alones in Pacific Grove now houses Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station. But it was once home to several hundred Chinese whom historians say were the first to commercialize fishing in California.
When the mysterious fire broke out in May 1906 no one was killed, but their livelihoods went up in flames.
Frances Low's parents were there. "They lost all their belongings and everything," said Low. "They had to start all over again."
Historians say the fire could have been accidental or arson. Some townspeople wanted the Chinese to vacate the village.
"At that time, it belonged to Southern Pacific Railroad," said historian Tim Thomas. "Their intent was to put fancy mansions down there."
Among the displaced: Quock Mui - the first documented Chinese born in Monterey.
While the Point Alones fire was a turning point in Bay Area Chinese American history, it was also an important part of this reporter's personal family history. Quock Mui was my great-great-grandmother.
Relatives say Quock Mui was a translator, known as 'Spanish Mary.' "She spoke Chinese, English, Portugese, Spanish and Rumsian Indian," said Low-Sabado.
Some of the Point Alones fire victims are buried at a Monterey cemetery, where descendants burn fake money and food in their memory.
Many fire survivors moved nearby to Macabee beach. But re-building wasn't easy. My great uncle's family was burned out of Point Alones a month after escaping the San Francisco earthquake and fire.
The younger generation, including my grandmother planted new roots, working at what would become Cannery Row.
Though the charred fishing village is only a memory - with remnants displayed at Monterey's Maritime Museum - the legacy of some of the first Chinese immigrants lives on.
"We still see their legacy today … the fact that we go out to the Bay out fishing for squid," said Thomas. "They learned it from Chinese fishermen who started fishing squid in 1880 because no one else wanted to at that time."
"They still persevered and they still were able to move on," said Low-Sabado.
A century later, it's a lesson for generations who would follow.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)