Chinese in Tustin
Yorba Linda, CA: Shumway Family History Services, 1989. First Edition. 8vo. 28, [2] pp, text single-sided. Bibliography. Grey cloth with silver lettering. Fine condition, as new. Item #20918
The Santa Fe and Southern Pacific railroads brought the first Chinese into Southern California to lay track as the companies crisscrossed the area with rail lines. After the tracks were completed many of the men stayed on. In 1880 Los Angeles had a Chinese population of 1,117. In "Chinese in Tustin", Gould noted that ranchers in Tustin and the outlying areas often took an all-day trip into Los Angeles with a wagon, stayed over night, and returned the next day with 20 to 25 laborers. Although it is estimated that as many as 200 to 300 Chinese lived in Tustin during the late 1880s,they were the first in the area to specialize in truck farming and they worked on local ranches. Rather than a Chinatown, "there were numerous little shacks hidden among the tall forests of mustard around Tustin." Stephen Louis “Steven” Gould (1947 - 2020) was a member of a pioneer Tustin family who arrived in Orange County in 1888, a prolific self-published author of local history, and the founder of One-by-One Ministries. His father, Jack, had farmed on the Irvine Ranch and the Goulds attended the little Irvine Community Church on Sand Canyon Ave. His family stories and personal anecdotes provided snapshots of life in Orange County not recorded elsewhere.
Price: $40.00