Public Programs

Fall 2025–Spring 2026 The Portland Chinatown Museum is pleased to announce the return of Hidden Histories: Oregon’s Early Chinatowns and Chinese Worker Settlements, a hybrid presentation series that will highlight and share the histories of Oregon’s rural and urban Chinese settlements. By sharing research from archaeologists, historians, and local experts, the six-part program aims to continue providing a better understanding and appreciation of Chinese immigrant history and culture in Oregon. All Hidden Histories events are free and open to the public.

Hidden Histories is organized and moderated by the Portland Chinatown Museum in partnership with the Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project. Beginning in Fall 2025 and concluding in Spring 2026, the series will take viewers across the state, highlighting the legacy and contributions of Chinese Oregonians to Aurora’s hops farming community, salmon canneries on the coast and the Columbia River, Oregon City, and the Althouse and Auburn mining sites.

PRESENTATIONS

Hidden Histories: The Legacy of Chinese Hop Farmers in Aurora, Oregon
Presenters: Jessica Curteman, Daniel W. Kee, Tiah Edmunsun-Morton
Moderator: Chelsea Rose
Watch HERE

This panel explores the role of Chinese immigrants in Aurora’s hop farming industry, the personal artwork of Chinese Oregonian artist and hop farmer Bue Kee, and the broader history of hop farming in Oregon.

Hidden Histories: Yes We Can! Chinese Cannery Workers and the Growth of the Oregon Salmon Industry
Presenters: Jacqueline Cheung, Eric Gleason
Watch HERE

Canned salmon was a major industry in Oregon and Washington from 1870 to 1942. After George Hume took the advice of his Chinese cook to hire the first Chinese cannery crew in 1870, Chinese crews became the industry standard for decades. Fishermen and cannery owners were dependent on these reliable, skilled men who worked year to year at the canneries to butcher, process, and preserve seasonal salmon runs. The archaeology of Pacific Northwest cannery sites has the potential to explore this aspect of the Chinese diaspora experience and illuminate the lives of the workers.

Seven Decades on Main Street: The Hidden History of Oregon City's Early Chinese Community
Presenters: Laura Shepard, Michael Lewis
Watch HERE

Seven Decades on Main Street presents research from a collaboration between the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project, focusing on Oregon City’s Chinese American community at the end of the 19th century. During the 1870s, many Chinese Americans arrived in Oregon City, and a Chinese district grew. In 1886, a mob attempted to drive Chinese Americans out of Oregon City. Though a significant and violent event, it did not mark the end of Oregon City’s Chinese American community. This talk highlights the stories of a few Chinese Americans who remained in Oregon City in the years following the attempted expulsion. By recovering these stories, the project expands Oregon City’s history beyond its traditional focus on leaders, trade, and industry, offering a model for uncovering other communities that have been “hidden in plain sight.”

Picturing the Past: Sharing Chinese American History through Archaeology, Art, and Song
Presenters: Chelsea Rose, Dale Hom, Jon Lee, Robbie Law
Watch HERE

Archaeologists, historians, and artists are working across the state to bring Chinese American history and heritage to light. This panel discusses the recent findings and collaborations of the Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project, highlighting the important ways in which artists can help translate the experiences of Chinese Oregonians and their legacies, including the challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities we face in bringing the past back to life.

COMING UP IN FEBRUARY

The Lung Family: Lineal Descendants Connect the Past and Present at Auburn, Oregon
Presenters: Linda Lung, Katherine Dickson
Click HERE to register

The Lung Family: Lineal Descendants Connect the Past and Present at Auburn, Oregon looks at the uniquely Oregon story of the Lung family, featuring family and community historian Linda Lung and archaeologist Catherine Dickson.

Top image: Chinese men working in a Columbia River salmon cannery. Photo by Wesley Andrews, courtesy of the Oregon Historical Society.