Early Residents

I've spent the past couple months researching and exploring the lives and labor of early Chinese American residents in Redmond, Washington, using census records, and immigration context to highlight underrepresented stories that helped shape Redmond.

While historical sources are sparse, a few documented individuals from Redmond and areas around Redmond offer valuable insight into a chapter of Redmond’s history. Their experiences reflect broader patterns of labor migration, exclusionary laws, and community invisibility that shaped the Chinese American experience across the Pacific Northwest.

Chinese Immigration to Washington & Redmond 

Fueled by war and hardship by conditions at home, including the Opium Wars, the Taiping Rebellion, and other conflicts and conditions, when news of opportunities from discovery of gold in California in the late 1840s reached southeast China, prompted thousands of young men to travel to the US.

In the 1860s, when gold became harder to find in California, it is also about this time, when trade connections between Washington and Asia strengthened (in the late 19th century). the Chinese and others were attracted by subsequent gold rushes in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia. Because American jobs paid better than jobs in China, immigrants earned enough money to make immigration worthwhile, however most couldn't earn enough to be able to afford the trip back to China.

In 1882, the same year the first vessel from Seattle brought ships from China bringing about 5,000 Chinese passengers to King County specifically. These immigrants worked in diverse roles: railroad construction, hop picking, sawmills, canneries, logging, and as cooks and servants.

These Chinese immigrants satisfied the need for abundant cheap labor, meaning at first, Chinese workers were welcomed for their labor. But as economic downturns struck in the 1870s and mid-1880s, anti-Chinese sentiment surged. White laborers, including European immigrants, viewed Chinese workers as competitors for scarce jobs, accusing them of undercutting wages, though in reality, the Chinese had little power to negotiate pay.  The Chinese workers received lower wages than their white counterparts for the same jobs, while facing discrimination rooted in anti-Asian prejudice and fear of the Chinese as economic competitors.

Starting in the 1850s, white laborers across the west accused Chinese workers of lowering wages and resented the employees that hired them. In times of economic downturns during the 1870s to 1880s, many Chinese laborers lost their jobs. White working men began organizing an anti-Chinese movement, and laws were passed to discourage Chinese workers from coming. This spread worldwide, and major political parties endorsed anti-Chinese positions, leading to the Chinese Exclusion act of 1882.

In 1882, for the first time in United States history, Federal law forbade entry of an ethnic group of laborers on the basis that they endangered public safety and order. This was done through the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act. This act provided a 10 year ban on Chinese labor immigration. 

Specific Stories

The Wa Chong Company

Chun Ching Hock, arrived in the US in 1863, and worked at Yesler Mill’s in San Francisco cookhouse before opening his own store in 1868 in Seattle as Seattle’s first Chinese settler. The Wa Chong Company recruited and placed Chinese immigrants in domestic work, logging, mining, construction, and later in fisheries and canneries. In 1868, this company was vital in recruiting and placing Chinese immigrants throughout Puget Sound. The company supplied contract labor for multiple industries

Sick Kee Ah Ming

There are census findings from 1885 in King County of Sick Kee and Ah Ming as laborers, both married and working as cooks at Redmond’s Campton/Campbell Mill. These records show that Sick Kee and Ah Ming had been in the U.S. for more than 20–30 years by 1910, with another census finding that shows they are both in Redmond as laborers, indicating that their labor and presence helped establish and sustain Redmond’s industrial economy over decades. Despite this, no records for either have surfaced after 1910, a disappearance that mirrors the fate of thousands of early Chinese immigrants across the American West, often due to forced migration, exclusionary laws, and lack of family networks in the U.S.

Life for Early Chinese in Redmond at the time like Sick Kee and Ah Ming, definitely can be assumed to be isolating and difficult due to the Exclusion Act laws that would have prevented them from bringing family, or having much of a Chinese community. Not only were their jobs segregated by race and class, but their contributions were also systematically erased in public memory and commemoration.

You Hong Woo and his family 

You Hong Woo, also recorded as Yu Hong Woo was one of Redmond’s earliest, long term Chinese-American residents in Redmond. Born in Guangzhou (listed as Canton), China in 1907, Woo immigrated to Seattle in 1922 on S.S. Tyndarus, sailing from Hong Kong, marking his entrance into the US, during a time where Chinese Exclusion laws made immigration extremely limited and difficult. He was (PVT) in the US ARMY during World War II. Returned from service in 1945. He settled in Redmond Washington, and census records in 1950 confirm he was living near Union Hill.

Census Name Variations, Missing Records, and Underreporting

The stories of individuals like those mentioned above put a voice to otherwise “nameless” explorers, those excluded not just from the communities they helped to build, but also from written history. These census records help significantly in dating the early residents, helping preserve the story of Chinese heritage in Redmond

However, finding these records and traces was difficult, and with searching for traces of Early Chinese residents came many challenges, as there were many incomplete, inconsistent, or unfound historical records.

One of the obstacles stems from the way that Chinese names were often inconsistently transliterated into English in official records because there was no standard system and because enumerators were unfamiliar with Chinese pronunciation or naming conventions. This could result in the same surname being recorded in multiple, inconsistent forms over time.

Beyond the transcribing of names, a more significant issue Chinese immigrants faced were the laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, that severely limited Chinese immigrants' ability to bring over family members resulting in few family records. Many states also passed laws that restricted Chinese ownership of property, discouraging or outright preventing legal landholding and the creation of property records. 

Despite multiple barriers created due to discriminatory laws and exclusion, immigrants in Washington built a social infrastructure to survive. In Washington, Chinese relied on community organizations to strengthen ethnic ties. Family associations, district associations formed the framework of the Chinese community. Concentrated primarily in Seattle, benevolent family associations like the Gee How Oak Tin offered business loans, language instruction, and social activities to eligible members. In 1910, Seattle Chinese chartered the Chong Wa Benevolent Association, a coalition of local groups and businesses, to administer Chinatown politics and support Chinese causes. Prominent businessmen like Chin Gee Hee and Ah King, both labor contractors, protected new immigrants while establishing important ties with white Seattle elites. And churches, notably the Chinese Baptist Church on Seattle's First Hill, also served to unite immigrants and older residents through ministry and community outreach.

Ah Ming and Sick Kee: 

Census Record and Occupation

In the 1910 U.S. Census, two Chinese men were recorded living in Redmond: Ah Ming, age 48, and Sick Kee, age 56. Both worked as cooks in what was likely the Campbell Mill Company’s lumber camp. Their roles were essential to feeding dozens of laborers.historylink.org

Arrival During the Era of Exclusion

Ah Ming likely immigrated around 1880, and Sick Kee around 1888. They arrived during a time when Chinese immigrants were banned from entering the U.S. under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Anti-Chinese violence, such as the 1886 riots in Washington, made life precarious. Despite these threats, they found work in Redmond decades later.

Life in the Lumber Camp

They lived in employer-provided bunkhouses near the sawmill. Census records show they were married, but no family members lived with them. Their situation reflects the restricted opportunities for Chinese immigrants at the time. Cooks and dishwashers were among the few roles they were allowed to hold. These jobs were physically demanding and socially isolated.

Invisible but Vital Labor

There are no known photographs or personal records of them in Redmond, and they do not appear in local newspapers. However, their labor sustained the lumbermen who built early Redmond. Their quiet contribution to the town’s economy, through cooking daily meals for loggers, was significant

Representation of a Forgotten Class

Ah Ming and Sick Kee represent a generation of Chinese men who built the infrastructure of the Pacific Northwest under extreme restrictions. They were not allowed to bring families, own land, or settle openly. Their appearance in the census is one of the only surviving pieces of evidence that they lived and worked in Redmond.

You Hong Woo:
Arrival in the United States

You Hong Woo was born in Guangzhou, China, on September 1, 1907. At the age of 14, he traveled alone by ship from Hong Kong to Seattle in 1922 to reunite with his father, Gee Gun Woo.

Woo settled in the Union Hill area of Redmond. He purchased 15 acres of land and lived there until his death in 1986. His home was a self-built wooden shack without electricity or running water. He lived among goats, geese, chickens, and old vehicles. Rather than rely on public utilities or social programs, he supported himself by selling eggs, doing small repair jobs, and collecting a modest veterans’ pension.

Military Service and Citizenship

During World War II, Woo served in the U.S. Army in Europe. After returning from the war, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Despite being eligible, he never claimed Social Security benefits due to a lack of knowledge about the system. His experience reflects the bureaucratic and cultural barriers that many older immigrants faced.

Media Portrayal in the 1970s

In the 1970s, Woo appeared in several articles in the Sammamish Valley News. One article titled "Goats, Geese and Woo" described his rural lifestyle and called him a "character." Reporters often focused on his refusal to use modern tools, like electric saws, and his unique way of calling goats with the chant “punky-punky.” He also made traditional Chinese medicine and claimed it could treat up to 15 illnesses.

Underlying Stereotypes and Social Distance

While the tone of the articles was friendly, they often used outdated terms like "Chinaman" and exoticized his lifestyle. These descriptions reflected common racial stereotypes of the time. He was respected for his independence, but still perceived as different.

Cultural Legacy and Historical Significance

Woo’s story is rare in Redmond’s history. Unlike earlier Chinese immigrants who came as laborers and moved frequently, he owned land, stayed in one place, and became a known figure in the area. His life bridges two eras: from exclusion and labor segregation to the slow growth of immigrant visibility. Although his home no longer exists, land records and community memories preserve his presence.

Common Themes: Invisibility, Resilience, and Quiet Contribution

Sick Kee, Ah Ming, and You Hong Woo lived very different lives, but all three spent their years somewhat apart from the community around them. Kee and Ming stayed in isolated lumber camps, while Woo lived alone on farmland with no electricity or running water. They didn’t leave behind much. What we have are census records, a few newspaper articles, or memories from neighbors.

Still, their lives show a quiet kind of strength. They worked through long hours, unfamiliar surroundings, and limited choices. Even though their names were not widely known, their presence mattered. They show us that not all contributions are loud, and that being unseen does not mean being unimportant.

Reflection and Summary

The lives of Sick Kee, Ah Ming, and You Hong Woo reveal a part of Redmond’s history that is often left out of the usual stories. These men came from different backgrounds and lived in different decades, but all found ways to contribute to their surroundings. Kee and Ming provided meals to dozens of workers every day, helping the lumber industry function smoothly. Woo built his own home, cared for animals, and supported himself through farming and small repair work. They were not just present in Redmond; they participated in its growth in quiet but consistent ways.

Their stories help us better understand what it meant to be Chinese in Washington State in the early 1900s. Life was not easy. Jobs were limited, and many immigrants were far from their families. But these men adapted. They worked with what was available and built steady lives, even when conditions were tough or isolating.

Looking at their experiences has made me think differently about what counts as “making history.” It is not always about fame or leadership. Sometimes, it is about the people who show up, do the work, and keep going even when no one is watching. Kee, Ming, and Woo may not appear in many textbooks, but they helped shape the everyday life of a growing town.

Today, Redmond is seen as an open and diverse place. Remembering these early Chinese residents gives us a fuller picture of how that identity developed. Their lives remind us that a community is built by many different people doing different kinds of work. When we recognize their efforts, we also learn how to recognize value in places we might have overlooked. Their stories are not just part of the past. They are part of how we understand the present.