Chinese New Year

Digging Deadwood History “Sidewalk superintendents” had an unobstructed view of state archaeologists digging up Deadwood history this summer at a lower Main Street site, once a part of Deadwood’s Chinatown.

The dig produced well over 75,000 significant 19^th and 20^th century artifacts that are currently being cleaned and evaluated at the State Archaeological Research Center in Rapid City. That process will continue over the next year, according to Rose Estep, senior archaeologist for the State Historical Society.

The archaeological investigation, funded by the city of Deadwood, began in early June, following the razing of a structure at 558 Main Street that was once the home of Louie’s Chicken Hut, a restaurant owned and operated by an Afro-American couple.

It may be one of the most significant archaeological finds in the area, giving historians new information about the customs and culture of Deadwood’s early day Chinese population. Assistant State Archaeologist James Donahue said he is not aware of any other excavations in the region that have produced such a wealth of information about the Chinese that came to Deadwood with the 1876 gold rush. It is the first Chinese archaeological site in South Dakota listed by the National Register of Historic Landmarks

“We were working with intact deposits, discovering artifacts that hadn’t been disturbed since they were discarded during the Chinese occupation of the area,” Estep said.

Artifacts unearthed include opium smoking paraphernalia, Chinese fan-tan gambling items, Chinese and U. S. minted coins, hundreds of alcohol, beer and pharmaceutical bottles, including small single dose medicine vials known locally as opium containers, figurines, glazed porcelain cups and bowls, personal hygiene items, jewelry, clothing and footwear.

The dig also produced multiple examples of building construction that correspond with Sanborn fire insurance maps dating from 1891 to 1949, as well as evidence of Deadwood fires and floods.

Occupying the site at various times during the last century were Chinese dwellings and shops, a bakery, and boarding houses catering to Blacks and Orientals.

Many of Deadwood’s long-time residents remember eating at Louie’s Chicken Hut. In a 1995 article written for Deadwood Magazine, the late George Moses described the business owned and operated by Louis and Jackie Banks.

“They were the managers, cooks and waiters. The only person they hired was a part-time dishwasher. Most people referred to Louis as Chicken Louie,” Moses said.

Louis was about six feet tall and wore very clean, white, starched trousers and jacket, with a high, heavily starched cook’s hat. He advertised by passing out handbills on Main Street. Jackie and Louis personally greeted each customer …

Long before Colonel Sanders began selling Kentucky Fried, Louis was serving fried chicken dinners, complete with vegetable, potatoes and gravy, bread and butter, milk or coffee. All for 50 cents.

After a Saturday night dance you had to hurry to get a seat. Chicken Louie’s would be full, with many people waiting to be served his famous fried chicken.

Owners of the adjacent Deadwood Gulch Saloon began preliminary work in creation of a parking lot at the historic site. The Deadwood Historic Preservation office was notified when earth-moving equipment uncovered some of the artifacts that will be displayed in Deadwood when analysis by archaeologists has been completed.

1) Hundreds of intact and fragmented examples of Chinese glazed porcelain were uncovered by archaeologists.

2) Smoking artifacts excavated include (top, left to right): Opium pipe bowl and opium lamp fragments, opium needle, complete and fragmented opium pipe bowls; (bottom left to right): bamboo fragments of opium pipe stem, opium lamp base, clay tobacco pipe bowls and stems, match sticks.

3) Evidence of gambling activity includes Chinese coins and Chinese fan-tan pieces (small white and black glass discs), white poker chip, ivory die, clay, ceramic and glass marbles.

4) Among the hundreds of intact and fragmented bottles found by archaeologists are single dose medicinal bottles (bottom right) known locally as opium vials; tiny glass tube vials (contents unknown) and other small bottles used for pills. The bottle at upper left, embossed in Chinese, contained a Chinese medicinal remedy.

5) Artifacts found by state archaeologists, indicative of domestic Chinese life, include a small purse, buttons and earrings.

Courtesy photos from State Archaeological Research Center

Chinese New Year celebration set for February 10

White beard swaying, the huge, brightly colored head rolls slowly clockwise, bright red tongue lolling from the open mouth, enormous round glass eyes glittering fiercely.

The immense creature may look like a dragon, but Chinese tradition says it’s really a lion, an exotic beast not native to China. An important part of Chinese culture for more than 1,000 years, lion dancing requires at least two athletic dancers performing as the lion. Under the heavy head one dancer manipulates mouth, eye and ear movements. A strong-backed second dancer supports the lion’s tail, duplicating the lead dancer’s movements from a stooped position.

Traditional lion dancers from San Francisco star in Deadwood’s colorful Chinese New Year celebration on Saturday, February 10. The event is particularly meaningful this year, after a summer archaeological dig uncovered solid evidence of the bustling Chinese village that was Deadwood’s Chinatown at the turn of the century.

Orientals came to Deadwood with the 1876 gold rush, bringing their culture and customs to the isolated mining camp. Traditional Chinese celebrations were a colorful part of Deadwood history until the Chinese returned to their homeland or moved on to larger American cities. By the early 1920s Dakota Territory’s last Chinatown was just a memory.

In 1991 Deadwood’s colorful Chinese New Year celebration was revived with a literal bang -- long strings of firecrackers explosively announcing the beginning of the new year.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, based on a 12-year cycle, 2002 (4700 on the Chinese lunar calendar) is the Year of the Horse. People born in the Year of the Horse are independent, intelligent and friendly, with an amazing capacity for hard work, but a strong streak of selfishness. Teddy Roosevelt, a frequent Deadwood visitor when he ranched near Medora, North Dakota in the late 1800s, was born under this sign.