The Hells Canyon massacre

The Hells Canyon massacre was a mass killing of Chinese immigrants in Oregon in May 1887. The victims worked at the Sam Yup Company, an employment agency that specialized in helping Chinese immigrants find work in the United States. In the years prior to the massacre, tensions between Chinese and American workers increased. To avoid a conflict, a group of Chinese immigrants traveled to a remote campsite in the wilderness, where they mined for gold.

Despite their efforts to hide and stay away from trouble, the workers were discovered by a gang of local horse thieves who murdered them, stole their gold, and burned their camp. Initially, local authorities declined to investigate the murder. When the Sam Yup Company hired a local judge to conduct an independent investigation, one of the members of the gang confessed and implicated the others. Several members of the gang fled, while the others were brought to trial. Despite this evidence and a standing confession, the jury declared all members of the gang not guilty of any crime. The Hells Canyon massacre is considered a standing example of the societal injustices faced by Chinese Americans during the late nineteenth century.

Background

People of Chinese descent settled in increasing numbers in Oregon during the mid-nineteenth century. Most of these immigrants were adult men from the Guangdong province. At the time, China was suffering from a variety of pressing issues, including natural disasters, political instability, and overpopulation. Because of these problems, many Chinese people emigrated to the United States, hoping to find fortune in a foreign land.

Though Chinese immigrants were often drawn to the United States by stories of people getting rich mining for gold, few were able to attain such wealth. Instead, most Chinese immigrants of the 1800s were relegated to labor jobs. Many of them found work with the railroads, which were in the process of expanding across North America. Still others found work as miners, farmers, and fishermen.

Many companies believed that Chinese immigrants worked harder than Americans and for lower wages, so these companies prioritized the hiring of Chinese workers. During the Long Depression, which began in the early 1870s and lasted for almost a decade, many Americans lost their jobs. Tension developed between employed Chinese immigrants and unemployed Americans. Many Americans blamed the Chinese for their economic struggles, incorrectly believing that if the Chinese were deported, there would be enough jobs for American workers. This anti-Chinese immigration sentiment culminated in the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese immigrants from working and stopped additional Chinese from migrating to the United States.

Overview

The Rock Springs massacre occurred in Wyoming Territory in 1885 because of rising tensions between Chinese and American workers. Twenty-eight Chinese immigrants were murdered. Following the killings, many Chinese immigrants fled, worrying that further violence would occur. However, members of the Sam Yup Company, a Chinese employment business based in San Francisco, California, refused to leave their jobs.

At the time, the laborers were working as miners in Lewiston, Idaho Territory. However, in May 1887, the immigrants decided to search for gold on the banks of Deep Creek in Hells Canyon, Oregon. The area in which they worked was remote and accessible only by boat. They hoped this campsite would be impossible for anyone else to find. Many of the laborers were concerned about the growing anti-Chinese sentiment in Americans and planned to hide in the wilderness until they felt safe.

The campsite was discovered by a gang of horse thieves from Wallowa County, Oregon. The gang included numerous famous criminals, most notably Bruce Evans, its leader, as well as Frank Vaughn, Titus Canfield, and Robert McMillan. The gang used rifles to ambush and murder the group of more than thirty Chinese miners. One laborer escaped the initial attack but was later captured and killed.

The gang stole the gold that the immigrants had been panning, destroyed their equipment, and dumped the bodies into the Snake River. To cover up their crime, the gang burned the labor camp. However, weeks later, the bodies of several miners washed ashore in the nearby town of Lewiston. One month later, another group of Chinese laborers discovered the site of the massacre and alerted local authorities. However, authorities conducted very little investigating. Seeking justice, the Sam Yup Company hired local miner Lee Loi to find those responsible for the murders. Loi hired Joseph K. Vincent, a local judge, to conduct an independent investigation into the crime. Though newspaper articles from the time of this investigation state that few initial leads were discovered, they also show that the local population suspected unemployed American workers were the murderers.

Vincent identified the assailants as a group of local White, male horse thieves in 1887. However, he struggled to make additional breakthroughs until March 1888, when Vaughn confessed to his role in the murders. Vaughn identified the six other men from Evans's gang, three of whom immediately fled Oregon and were not apprehended by authorities.

Vaughan testified in court that he and the other thieves had murdered the Chinese laborers and stolen their gold. However, on September 1, 1888, an Oregon jury found the horse thieves not guilty of any crime. At the time, journalists assumed that the jury’s indifference was due to the continued racial tension between Chinese and American workers. In 1891, McMillan’s father confessed to the crime on behalf of his son. Despite this evidence, no one faced justice for the Hells Canyon massacre. In 2012, a memorial was constructed at the site of the massacre bearing the names of ten of the miners.

Bibliography

“A Most Daring Outrage,” Murders at Chinese Massacre Cove, 1887.” History Cooperative, historycooperative.org/journal/a-most-daring-outrage-murders-at-chinese-massacre-cove-1887/. Accessed 7 June 2023.

“Hells Canyon Massacre.” History.com, 2023, www.history.com/topics/immigration/hells-canyon-massacre. Accessed 7 June 2023.

“Oregon’s Early Chinese American history and Portland’s Louie Chung.” The Oregon Historical Society, www.ohs.org/events/oregons-early-chinese-american-history.cfm. Accessed 7 June 2023.

“Overview of Chinese Immigrants in the Pacific Northwest U.S.” University of Oregon, blogs.uoregon.edu/chinatownproject/historical-background/. Accessed 7 June 2023.

Horton, Kami. “Remembering the 1887 Massacre at Hells Canyon.” OPB, 27 May 2023, www.opb.org/article/2023/05/27/oregon-experience-massacre-of-chinese-miners-at-hells-canyon-1887/. Accessed 7 June 2023.

“The Forgotten Chinese Massacre at Hells Canyon.” AsAmNews, 2020, asamnews.com/2020/09/14/hells-canyon-massacre-left-34-chinese-gold-miners-dead-in-hidden-chapter-in-u-s-history/. Accessed 7 June 2023.