CSUSB students help to preserve Riverside's Chinatown

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- Students enrolled in a history class at Cal State San Bernardino are seeking individuals to interview who have first-hand memories of Riverside’s Chinatown.

In an effort to prevent the destruction of the archaeological site and preserve the historical landmark, the students in an oral history class, taught by CSUSB history professor Cherstin Lyon, are collaborating with Riverside’s “Save Our Chinatown” committee to record residents’ memories of Riverside’s Chinatown.

“This is a perfect way for our students to learn how to record oral history,” said Lyon. “They want to interview those who have knowledge of Chinatown’s past and record it in a way that’s meaningful.

“By telling the residents’ stories, ‘Memories of Chinatown’ is one way to engage the public and raise awareness of the committee’s project,” Lyon said.

The students are especially seeking individuals who have first-hand memories of its last resident, George Wong. Declared as Riverside’s Chinatown by the Riverside County Historical Commission in 1968, Wong was present to unveil the historical landmark.

Miranda Olivas and Moriah Schnose are two of the CSUSB students currently documenting the interviews for this project. Both had previously taken another history course with Lyon, whose passion for oral history inspired them to help with the “Save Our Chinatown” project.

“Partnering with Riverside’s project is a great opportunity to incorporate what we learned last quarter into helping our community,” said Schnose, a junior history major.

Schnose said that preserving the archaeological site is important to the Chinese immigrants who initially settled in Riverside.

“It is an integral part of the historical evidence impacted by U.S. immigration laws, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882,” she said.

Olivas, a senior history major, said, “I grew up in Riverside and appreciate the city's unique community, history and the enriching educational opportunities the city promotes.”

“If we can interview people who have wonderful memories of Riverside's Chinatown, we have more power in saving the historic landmark,” said Olivas.

Despite the Riverside Chinatown designation as a city and state landmark, its standing as a county point of historical interest, and being listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the site remains threatened.

The city of Riverside and the Riverside County Board of Education, which owns the site, have been negotiating plans to allow a private developer to build a medical office building on the site.

After Wong’s death in 1974, the last standing structures of Chinatown were demolished by the city of Riverside.  But the basements of the historic structures remain buried, along with rich archaeological treasures.

Sample excavations conducted in 1984-1985 drew national and international attention to Riverside’s Chinatown, revealing thousands of artifacts that contributed significantly to scholars’ understanding of Chinese American communities.

If you are interested in telling your story through a recorded interview, contact professor Cherstin Lyon at (909) 537-3836 or e-mail clyon@csusb.edu.

For more information on the effort to preserve the history of Riverside’s Chinatown, visit the Save Riverside Chinatown Facebook page.