140 Years Later: Commemorating the Rock Springs Chinese Massacre & Unveiling a Memorial Statue
Laura W. Ng
Between August 28th and September 2nd, about sixty people from across the U.S. gathered to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the Rock Springs Chinese Massacre. The events were organized by former Rock Springs residents Ricky and Grace Leo, and brought together other descendants of the Rock Springs Chinatown, including family members of coal miner Leo Yee Litt, coal miner Lew Fook, and merchant Leo Pack Jung.
Here are some photos from the event:
Peter Lau presenting, “Where did the Chinese in Rock Springs come from?: Research on Leo (廖 Liao) villages in Hoisan (台山 Taishan) County”
Ricky Leo discussed all of the events and people that led him to help organize the 1885 Chinese massacre commemoration with his wife Grace.
Visit to the Sweetwater County Historical Museum in Green River. The tour was led by the museum’s executive director, David Mead.
(L-R) Grace Leo and Steve Shea. Steve provided attendees with tours of areas where some of the Rock Springs coal mines were located.
(L-R) Beth, Robert, Marion are relatives of Lew Fook. Ricky Leo created a poster with information that Robert provided about their family’s history in Rock Springs, which dates back to the 1885 Chinese Massacre. Photo: Peter Lau.
Beth Lew-Williams generously gifted me her new book, John Doe Chinaman (Harvard University Press). I highly recommend the book! Also check out her article in The New Yorker on anti-Chinese violence & memory: “The Ritual of Civic Apology.”
Descendants of Leo Yee Litt (L-R) Kori, Arvin, and Nancy. Leo Yee Litt’s father survived the 1885 Chinese Massacre and Peter Lau’s research helped them learn that they are related to Ricky Leo. Photo: Peter Lau
Arvin Chin meeting 93 year old Phillip Lew, a Rock Springs resident who knew Arvin’s maternal grandfather, Leo Yee Litt, in the 1940s.
Granddaughter of Leo Pack Jung, Cheryll (second from the left), and other attendees visit the Rock Springs Chinatown excavation.
Dr. Dudley Gardner (right) leads a tour of the Rock Springs Chinatown archaeological site. On the right is the South Dakota SHPO, Garry Guan.
Ricky & Grace speaking at the Requiem sculpture unveiling. Ricky was the model for the statue, which depicts a Chinese coal miner in a debris field after the massacre & arson fire in 1885.
Three generations of Lew family in front of the Requiem statue. Their family of transnational immigrants has been in Wyoming since the late nineteenth century.
Thanks to Colleen Carscallen for helping us check in 138 people who came to visit the Rock Springs Chinatown archaeological site after the statue unveiling. Local Rock Springs school teachers allowed their students to attend the commemoration ceremony.
The Rock Springs Chinatown archaeology research team would like to thank all of the descendants for sharing family photos, and stories, and we look forward to future collaborations.
Below are four newspaper articles, which discuss some of the commemoration events and provide reporting on the statue unveiling.
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