In honor of the first day of Chinese New Year, the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) hosted a free event on Monday, January 23 in the Meese Meeting Room to discuss their recent and continuing work in Jacksonville’s Chinese Quarter.

Chinese miners lived and ran businesses in the excavated area from the time gold was discovered in the Rogue Valley around 1852 until about 1880. This presentation reported the initial findings of SOULA’s ongoing work at the site. SOULA’s work in this area was prompted by Jacksonville’s need for street improvements and the undertaking allows them to look beyond the often biased historical accounts previously available to them.

Mark Tveskov and Chelsea Rose, SOULA

Chelsea Rose, a lab staff member involved in the project, commented during
her presentation that “we haven’t been able to speak of the Chinese miners because we haven’t known much about them” but now “we can humanize these people.” One of the major points of her talk, in fact, discussed how the initial findings at the site have provided evidence concerning stereotypes prevalent at the time and often still believed today, such as the idea that the Chinese were opium addicts. The reality in this case, she pointed out, is that the use of opium by Chinese immigrants was the cultural equivalent of pioneers consuming alcohol—both allowed the user to relax and lessen the pain after a hard day’s work. Her presentation highlighted how the type of work SOULA conducts “allows us to speak of those who have been marginalized” as the Chinese certainly were.

For more information visit the Medford Mail Tribune article written by Paul Fattig.

Jennifer Marcellus
CAS Student Intern