Medford, Oregon (May 17, 2023) — The archaeological interest in mining camps and the miners themselves has been at the forefront of the Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project since its founding in 2017. Archaeologist Tatiana Watkins will discuss two sites previously recorded as associated with a Chinese mining company in her talk “Mining Camps in Oregon’s Early History” from 12 Noon to 1 p.m., Wednesday, June 7, on Zoom and in-person at the Medford Library, 205 S. Central Avenue. The Windows in Time lecture will be repeated from 12 Noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, at the Ashland Library, 410 Siskiyou Boulevard.
Settlement in the Oregon territory began with the finding of gold, starting in Southern Oregon to expand into what is now Eastern Oregon and the Malheur National Forest. Mining technologies have been greatly researched archaeologically and historically. The discussions and knowledge learned from these sites enable researchers to look at comparable artifact assemblages across mining camps in the Pacific Northwest and use primary documents as a necessary instrument in interpreting the past.
Tatiana Watkins is an archaeologist based in Southern Oregon. As a graduate of Southern Oregon University, she studied Rogue Valley history focusing on the Rogue River War and Chinese railroad workers. Since graduating, she has continued working in Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon in the Malheur National Forest. She is finishing her graduate degree at the University of Idaho, with research into Chinese diaspora and gold mining sites in Eastern Oregon.
Pre-registration is needed to attend the online version of this program and can be found at jcls.libcal.com/calendar/jcls_event/WIT-Jun-2023. A recording of the program will later be made available on the Jackson County Library Services YouTube channel; subscribe at youtube.com/c/JCLSBeyond.
The monthly Windows in Time lunchtime lectures feature well-known writers and historians and bring alive the people, values, and events that shaped our Southern Oregon heritage. The lectures are jointly sponsored by the Southern Oregon Historical Society and Jackson County Library Services. For more information, please contact the Southern Oregon Historical Society at 541-773-6536 or sohs.org or Jackson County Library Services at 541-774-8679 or jcls.org.