Chinese Merchants Return to Tacoma
A trading company opens in the Bostwick Block, sparking fears of renewed anti-Chinese violence.
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.
The first installment of Chinese merchants are here. They opened up today in store rooms in the Bostwick block, rented several days ago for the Tacoma & Oriental Trading Company, which is to exist in the trade of the Northern Pacific Steamship Company. Wing Chong and Wang Kong, of Portland, are the names of the merchants here. So far they have not been molested, but it is feared the anti-Chinese element will sooner or later attack them in one way or another.
“So far they have not been molested, but it is feared the anti-Chinese element will sooner or later attack them in one way or another.”
This article highlights the lingering trauma in Tacoma seven years after the 1885 expulsion. The city's 'anti-Chinese element' remained a constant threat, illustrating the ongoing struggle for civil rights and safety for Asian communities in the Pacific Northwest.
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