HISTORY OF THE CHINESE IN MARIPOSA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH

American—"You Chinamen are very foolish to put rice and chicken on your countryman's grave. Do you think he comes out of the ground and eats them?"

Chinaman —"When Melican man puts flowers on friend's grave, does he think dead man come out and smell 'em?"

Daily Evening Bulletin, (San Francisco, CA) Monday, March 29, 1858; Issue 145; col A

ATTEMPT TO GET RID OF THE CHINESE IN MARIPOSA
The following manifesto, says the Gazette, is now being circulated for signature in the town of Mariposa:
We, the undersigned citizens and property holders in the town of Mariposa, Mariposa county, California, hereby agree and bind ourselves not to rent, sell, nor permit Chinese to occupy any of our possessions within our town limits.
2. We who now have Chinese tenants in or on our processions, do hereby further agree not to renew any lease to said Chinese after the expiration of such time as we have received rents in advance.
3. The signing of this article shall not be considered binding on anyone who may have signed, unless agreed to and signed by all the property-holders within our town limits.
4. The town limits shall be considered to extend from Chicken Gulch, on the Mariposa Creek, up to Missouri Gulch.
Be if further agreed, That we will consider the citizen who would tolerate their presence, or act contrarywise to the above expressed determination of those whose names are hereunto affixed, to hold the welfare and safety of the community in light consideration.
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Daily Evening Bulletin, (San Francisco, CA) Saturday, April 24, 1858, Issue 14 Col B
A CHINESE TOWN PROJECTED- The Mariposa Gazette says that it is the intention of the Chinese population in its county to build a permanent town near the garden of Allison & Powell, about two miles from the town of Mariposa. Lots have been already staked off, and other preparations made for found a Celestial city, where they can sit under their own canvass, and smoke opium to their heart's content, without being interfered with by "outside barbarians." Judging from the crowd already in and near Mariposa town, and the numbers daily arriving, it may become a place of note. It is estimated that the Orientals already in the county, outnumber the white population about two to one. To supply this people with amusements, a Chinese theatrical troupe has taken up its quarters in the locality. The company number some twenty-five actors, one actress and a full quota of ___(unreadable). Their engagement is said to be for the "season."
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Daily Evening Bulletin, San Francisco, CA June 23, 1858
ANTI-CHINESE DEMONSTRATION AT MARIPOSA
On 16th June, a meeting of the citizens of the town of Mariposa was held there, when on a preamble that Chinese residents had caused the late fire in Mariposa, the following resolution was unanimously passed:
That the inhabitants and real estate proprietors in Mariposa, or any of them will not in future lease, sell, or permit to be occupied by any Chinese population, any real estate or buildings between 1st and 9th streets, and between the summit of the east side of the town, and the summit of the hill on the southwest side of the town.
An agreement in terms of this resolution was in circulation, for signature by the citizens.-
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Daily Evening Bulletin, San Francisco, CA, June 04, 1859
THE CHINESE EXPELLED FROM HORNITOS
The Chinese expelled From Hornitos- A fire broke out in the Chinese quarter of the town of Hornitos on the morning of 24th May, which was fortunately extinguished without doing much damage. The citizens having about three weeks before warned them to leave immediately, held a meeting and ordered them to leave at 3 o'clock, P.M., that day. Not heeding this second warning , they were driven out by force. There was but little excitement about it, and a portion of the citizens took no part in it. They intend building a town on the hill between El Dorado creek and Hornitos- Mariposa Star
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Saturday last a fight took place between two companies of Chinese on the
Lower Agua Fria, in which a Chinaman named Ty was seriously if not mortally
wounded by a countryman named Tin SEE. The difficulty occurred about a water ditch
and division of water. An examination of the affair took place before Justice
BRUCE, who, in default of a $500 bond, committed the said Tin See to prison to await
the action of the Grand Jury.
submitted by Harriet Sturk- Jan 2003
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After the Forty-Nlners had taken .the cream of tthe gold from the creeks In the vicinity of Agua Frio, the claims were leased to the Chinamen who were flocking to Mariposa in great numbers. About the rear 1864 and for two or three years following from two to five thousand Chinamen were engaged In mining near the town of Agua Frio. The Chinese miners were no exception to the general rule, and often they became involved in quarrels and flghts over certain claims, many times with serious or fatal results. So little was a Chinaman's life valued in those days that little or no effort was made to avenge his death. One morning in the spring of 1864, Fong Chook, one of the successful miners of the camp, made his appearance at Mariposa, the county seat, in search of Sheriff Nelson. Chook was in a very weakened condition from lose of blood from the wounds indicted upon him with a cleaver or Chinese dagger in the hands of one of his companions. Nelson took the Chinaman back to Agua Frio and after a search of the camp the guilty party was pointed out to Nelson, but before he could make the arrest, hundreds of other Chinamen, armed with .knives, cleavers and spears, surrounded the would-be murderer and .literally hacked his body to pieces. After this treatment the body was thrown into a deserted mining hole and covered with large boulders. fn the meantime Sheriff Nelson had gone for help among the white miners of the vicinity. Upon being Informed of the dastardly deed the miners called an indignation meeting and the following day a thousand white men, armed to the teeth, compelled all of, ihe Chinamen to leave the diggings and the town of Auga Frio. At this time Fremont owned the grant here and he was. at this time, receiving a monthly tax of $4.00 for each China miner, which was the source of an immense revenue. He, of course, was not well pleased with this turn of affairs and at once ordered all the Chinese brought back to the mines. After the return the white miners proceeded to get up another in-, dlgnatlon meeting and a second time the Chinamen were driven out, this time as far as the Patty Bennett place on Mariposa creek, near what is now the town of Le Grand. Fremont was determined not to lose his income and at once dispatched a couple of his Chinese servants after the fleeing Coolles with the assurance that they would be fully protected if they would again return to their mines. A few returned at first to see what treatment would be afforded them and later, after things had quieted down, the remainder came. After this no further effort was made to drive them out but the rough er class of whites made life miserable for them by robbing and stealing from them. They remained, however, until all of the gold was taken.

Lee Gin, Mariposa's famous Chinese chef and the proud possessor of a large circle of white-faced friends entertained a large part of the townspeople at one of his far-famed Chinese banquets on Chinese New Years which occurred Thursday night of last week. Lee Gin demonstrated very strongly his pronounced ability as a connoisseur and the articles of diet of Chinese origin that he placed before his guests were tempting in the extreme, , and such as to whet the appetite of the most fastidious

FATT, Robert
LAST OF MARIPOSA CHINESE SUCCUMBS
Modest Bee, Friday November 24, 1943

Merced, Nov 26-Mariposa County, which once was the home of several thousand Chinese, today had last the last of that race residing here. Robert Fatt, 71, who was born in Big Oak Flat, Tuolumne County, and spent all but the first year of his life in Mariposa County, was found dead yesterday in his home in the Whitlock district. He was an expert millman and mechanic.
Coroner Walter McNally said death was due to natural causes. Alfred Walker, a neighbor, went to the Fatt home yesterday to pay a Thanksgiving call on the elderly Chinese, who lived alone. The body was found upright in a chair in the front part of the home.
The body was brought today to the Ivers & Alcorn Mortuary. No survivors are known.