Police Raid Hoquiam Opium Den
Local authorities target the Chinese community in a sweep for illicit substances.
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Prosecuting Attorney Pearson received word Wednesday that the police at Hoquiam had made a big killing, having bagged every Chinaman in Hoquiam drawing in the soothing smoke of the 'dope.' It has long been known that, besides being a strategic point commercially, Grays Harbor offered special facilities for the opium smuggler, and that quantities of the drug have for some time been coming this way. This is the first time, however, the authorities have manifested any desire to 'catch on.' It is believed that the reason for the move at this time is Hoquiam's desire to rid herself of the Chinaman in all his dirty aspects.
This article reflects the virulent anti-Chinese sentiment prevalent in Washington during the late 19th century, where 'opium raids' were frequently used as a pretext for the systematic expulsion of Asian immigrants from towns like Hoquiam and Aberdeen. While the framing is overtly racist, it documents the period of state-sanctioned exclusion that defined early Grays Harbor history.
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