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Aug 17, 2007 5:10 pm US/Pacific
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Stanford Archaeologists Find 19th Century Remnants
PACIFIC GROVE (CBS 5) ―
Gerry Low-Sabado of Fremont sifts pieces of her past.
"Here's an interesting piece of glass I've never seen before," she said.
Low-Sabado documents each artifact Stanford archaeologists dig up, hoping for clues about her ancestors, some of California's first Chinese immigrants.
"Just contemplate what life might have been back in those days," Low-Sabado said.
Researchers carve several pits four-feet-deep at Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove, along Monterey Bay, as they search for remnants of the Point Alones fishing village.
The village was home to several hundred Chinese immigrants in the late-1800s, including Low-Sabado's great grandparents.
Historians believe those immigrants started commercial fishing in the state. But a mysterious fire burned down the village in 1906, forcing the Chinese to flee.
Stanford archaeologist Bryn Williams observed, "It really kind of set the stage for the history of California."
Archaeologist Williams and his team have uncovered coins, ceramics, a leather shoe, and hundreds of other artifacts during a five-week dig. It gives Low-Sabado a clearer picture of her ancestors' daily lives.
"Pehaps they drank tea out of this cup, ate rice out of that bowl. It really is connected to both of us," she said, explaining that her great-great grandmother lived at Point Alones.
While the excavation allows people to dig deeper into their own family roots, it's also teaching archaeologists more about the Chinese community in California.
Williams said the dig has revealed some surprises.
The discovery of many British-made plates suggests the Chinese were not as isolated as historians suspected.
"There was a lot more economic exchange activity between the Chinese and their neighbors in Point Alones than was previously imagined," Williams said.
"Historical records imply this was a poor fishing community," Williams explained, but he said the artifacts suggest they were better off.
Researchers also found "a lot of nicer things I didn't expect to be there," said Stanford Sophomore Claire Menke.
One nice thing was evidence of culinary choices.
"It's a fish vertebrae," said Low-Sabado, sifting through rocks. "And since they were fishermen, they'd be eating a lot of fish."
But the team added it was surprised to also find a lot of pork, beef and chicken bones.
"We're really finding a diversified palate," said Williams.
The discoveries give Gerry Low-Sabado fresh perspective on her history..
"I was born and raised here, I did not know about this Chinese village," Low-Sabado said.
Now, thanks to the archaeological dig, she can imagine how her pioneering ancestors lived, and share their stories of the past with the generations of the future.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)