The End of the Hop-Picking Migration
A federal decision in 1892 abruptly cuts off the long-standing seasonal labor of British Columbia indigenous harvesters in Washington.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
In Snohomish, Washington, an immigration inspector confirmed that under new departmental rulings, exceptions will no longer be made to the alien contract labor law to permit British Columbia Indians to cross the border to pick hops in Washington state. This decision serves as a formal notice to growers who have relied on this imported seasonal labor in previous years to gather their harvest.
“Exceptions will no longer be made to the provisions of the alien contract labor law in permitting British Columbia Indians to come over into this country to pick hops.”
This 1892 policy shift captures an early moment in the tightening of U.S. borders that would eventually prioritize protectionist labor laws over the long-standing seasonal migration patterns of indigenous nations across the Pacific Northwest. It highlights the recurring tension between Washington’s agricultural reliance on migrant labor and the restrictive federal border policies that persist in today’s political landscape.
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