Worldly Treasures. A Collection of
Hard-working students and volunteers helped uncover the story of Montana’s Chinese pioneers.
ing ball used in laundry operations, pieces of a Chinese game known as “go,” and the cat’s paw—likely a talisman—that still defies explanation. The crew also accessed Big Timber’s tunnels, which locals insist are Chinese. But in Big Timber as in other communities, passageways dubbed “Chinese tun- nels” are nothing more than convenient access or under sidewalk storage. Chris studied Northern Pacific Railroad camps, where
132 E Main Street, Bozeman, MT 406-582-0166 www.Darirasatrunkshow.com BAIR MUSEUM
THE NEW ART MUSEUM OPENS SUMMER OF 2011 The historic home and museum, filled with valuable
European and Western art, reflect the personal tastes and memories of one of Montana’s most prosperous families.
Chinese laborers worked for pitiful wages. He visited cemeter- ies in Helena, Butte, and Philipsburg where Chinese remains were not returned to China. At Helena’s Forestvale Cemetery, 200 Chinese lie outside the tended grounds. Vandals long ago removed most vestiges, but a few scattered headstones, unique to Montana, remain. All three cemeteries include funerary burners, used to prepare meals for the dead. Chris completed his work in May 2010, earning his doc- torate. His efforts to tell the Chinese story have contrib- uted greatly to a missing chapter of Montana history. In the end, his journey confirmed that myth permeates per- ceptions of this ethnic group and undocumented stories become easily woven into community memory. Education is the key, and Chris has made a good beginning. “Belief in Chinese tunnels and ovens,” Chris concludes, “comes from the same roots as the Chinese terraces of Poacher Gulch which saw more corn for moonshine than it ever did bok choy.”
To learn more about the Chinese in Montana visit www.cas.umt.edu/anthro/anth495cim/ and www.cas.umt.edu/germangulch
Ellen Baumler is the Montana Historical Society’s interpretive historian and the author of many articles and books including the just-released Montana Moments: History on the Go. She is best known for her books exploring Montana’s haunted places including Montana Chillers for younger readers. This year, Ellen was honored with a Governor’s Humanities Award.
THE CHARLES M. BAIR FAMILY MUSEUM
Martinsdale, Montana www.bairfamilymuseum.com 406.572.3650
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For an interview with Ellen Baumler Go to www.distinctlymontana.com/baumler112
DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL
DISTINCTLY MONTANA • SPRING 2011
