Memorial to the Chinese Laborers

Memorial to the Chinese Laborers (HM1CXT)

Location: Oakland, CA 94605 Alameda County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 43.955', W 122° 7.68'

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Inscription

Lake Chabot Historical Walk

The Alameda County Historical Society dedicates this panel to:
Ah Bing - 41, Kim Yuen - 29, Toy Sing - 31, and Lock Sing - 33, who died outside this tunnel. This panel is also dedicated to the countless unnamed and unsung Chinese laborers who worked on Lake Chabot Dam from 1874 to 1892.


In 1888 and 1889 Chinese laborers dug and dynamited 1,438 feet through rock hillside to make this spillway tunnel. Overflow water from the lake passes through the tunnel, into the 679 foot masonry-lined canal and then back into San Leandro Creek

On the evening of September 16, 1889, a dynamite explosion killed four Chinese laborers who were digging the canal outside this tunnel.

While records of Chinese laborers are scant, their achievements were enormous. Using hand tools such as pickaxes, and shovels, they cleared 333 acres of bush and timber, blasted 3,100 feet of tunnels, built more than 15 miles of roads and 18 miles of fences, and moved 600,000 cubic yards of earth.

Chinese laborers built Lake Chabot with back-breaking labor. Belatedly, we honor their significant contributions to the historic legacy of California.

The tunnel is the length of four football fields and connected to Lake Chabot. Note the fine hand-crafted masonry of chiseled stone, burnt brick, and Portland cement at the entrance. Can you see where the masonry shifts from stone to brick?
Details
HM NumberHM1CXT
Tags
Year Placed2012
Placed ByChinese Historical Society of America, Alameda County Historical Society and East Bay Regional Parks
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, October 4th, 2014 at 12:52pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)10S E 576837 N 4176503
Decimal Degrees37.73258333, -122.12800000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 43.955', W 122° 7.68'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 43' 57.30" N, 122° 7' 40.80" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)510
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 3484 Revere Ave, Oakland CA 94605, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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