| The contribution of overseas Chinese labor to the industries responsible for the building of the American West has become a popular topic for scholarly research in recent years. Historical and archaeological studies pertaining to the lifestyles and experiences of Chinese laborers have helped to incorporate their stories into the industrial history of America's western frontier. To that end, this thesis documents the historical and archaeological investigations of an overseas Chinese work camp that was associated with the late-19 th century lumber industry of the Dog Valley, California area.;The archaeological excavation of site TY-3687 was carried out during the summer of 2003. The temporally diagnostic data that were collected as a result of this excavation indicate that TY-3687 represents the latest identified Chinese wood camp in the Dog Valley area. The late occupation date for TY-3687 is significant since it post-dates a total economic boycott of Chinese labor that was enacted in the Truckee and Verdi area in 1886. Therefore, the results of this archaeological investigation reveal important information regarding the lifestyles, living conditions, class and ethnic identities, and work ideologies of the site's Chinese inhabitants during a time of intense racial discrimination and exclusion. |
