History Smarts: The Chinese in Ventura County
As part of the Museum's five year strategic plan, the Museum has committed to making our collection and the county's history more accessible. We have also committed to telling diverse stories and this quiz represents a part of that work. During this Covid-19 pandemic, Asian Americans have been experiencing more racism and hate crimes. While this episode of increased prejudice and violence is new, it reflects a long history of how prejudice has influenced public response to groups of immigrants. In Ventura County, the Chinese community has a long history of contribution and also of enduring hardship and prejudice. We've collected just a few stories of resilience and resourcefulness for you to test your knowledge of the Chinese community's contributions to our county. These stories don't begin to tell the full story of this community's contribution to the county so we have included some additional resources for you to check out. Please stick around to complete this quiz and enter for a chance to win a fabulous prize!
Sign in to Google to save your progress. Learn more
Ventura was the town that initially welcomed Chinese settlers. According to archaeologist Roberta S. Greenwood, they were welcomed in Ventura, as elsewhere, as excellent workers in construction, agricultural, and industrial projects." Click this link to learn about this photo and answer the 2 questions below: http://photographs.venturamuseum.org/items/show/1620 *
What street was home to Ventura County's first Chinese community?
What street was home to Ventura County's first Chinese community?
What is the 2nd building on the left, with the intricate porch decoration, called? *
Efforts to remove or displace Chinese settlements saw an increase beginning in the 1870s. The May 6, 1882 issue of the Ventura Signal printed in whole the Chinese Exclusion Act, which President Chester A. Arthur signed into law that day. This act excluded skilled or unskilled laborers from immigrant for a period of 10 years and with its passage, Chinese immigrants became the first ethnic group to be excluded from immigrating to the US. You can view the newspaper here: https://tinyurl.com/y9vlqgru *
How long were skilled or unskilled Chinese laborers banned from immigrating to the US?
How long were skilled or unskilled Chinese laborers banned from immigrating to the US?
These men from a Chinese fire brigade are shown in a parade in this photo taken in the late 1800s by John Calvin Brewster, a chronicler of late 19th century and early 20th century life in Ventura County. The Chinatowns in Ventura and Oxnard both established their own fire brigades because of slow response times from local fire departments to blazes in those areas. The Chinese fire brigade, rather than only putting out fires in their neighborhood, would raise the alarm and respond to fires in other neighborhoods as well. According to Greenwood, they "frequently beat the municipal fire department to the local blazes. Follow the link to the photo to learn more and answer the questions below: http://www.luna.blackgold.org/luna/servlet/detail/blackgold~1~1~384~115# *
When was this photo taken?
When was this photo taken?
What are the men pulling? *
Captionless Image
In 1892, this Sanborn Fire Insurance map captured the layout of the Chinese community now known as China Alley, located in Ventura. It was a bustling community. That started to change in 1898 when the Oxnard sugar beet factory opened up and families moved to Oxnard to work in the factory. In 1905, the area around the Mission was to be redeveloped and the land east of Figueroa was sold. The Chinese community relocated the buildings to Ventura Avenue and a new community grew up on the north side of Main Street, between Ventura Avenue and the Mission. Local residents protested, as they saw the area as too popular and bustling for the Chinese community to move to; despite these protestations, there were no legal grounds to block the move. *
Where did many members of the Chinese community move to in 1898?
Where did many members of the Chinese community move to in 1898?
Where did the community move to in 1905? *
In the face of anti-Chinese sentiment, a county-wide Anti-Chinese League, and a national Exclusion Act, and in the wake of the community being displaced and forced to move their buildings to the Avenue, local business and land owner Sing Hing contributed to one of Ventura's first historical preservation efforts. In 1913, he agreed to sell the Ortega Adobe for $1000 and, because he was personally supportive of the proposed preservation, he donated $250 towards the price for the building. ($25,897.88 and $6,474.47, respectively, in today's dollars) *
What Adobe did Sing Hing help to save?
What Adobe did Sing Hing help to save?
*
What year did Sing Hing contribute to one of the first historical preservation efforts in Ventura, saving this building?
What year did Sing Hing contribute to one of the first historical preservation efforts in Ventura, saving this building?
William [Bill] Du Chun Soo Hoo was elected mayor of the City of Oxnard in 1966. He was the first person of Chinese descent to hold the position of mayor in California. When Bill became mayor, how many people native to Oxnard had held the position before him? Read the first paragraph of this Ventura County Chinese American Historical Society biography to find the answer: http://www.polyfet.com/vccahs/Bill%20Soo%20Hoo%20Story_Short_Version.pdf *
Captionless Image
In the biography of Bill Soo Hoo, he relates an experience that motivated him to get involved in politics. What was it? *
Captionless Image
To learn more about the resilience and local history of Ventura County's Chinese community, check out this excellent documentary presented by the Ventura County Chinese American Association and Genealogical Society.
CHANCE TO WIN A PRIZE!
We hope you enjoyed these stories of resilience in the face of prejudice. Enter your name, email and phone number. You will  be entered into a weekly drawing for a $50 gift certificate to a Ventura County establishment of your choice. Want to know if your answers are right? After you click "Submit", click on "View accuracy" to see how you did. *
Submit
Clear form
Never submit passwords through Google Forms.
This content is neither created nor endorsed by Google. - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy

Does this form look suspicious? Report

Google Forms