Kam Wah Chung and Co.

Scott Mazariegos

We had seen the story about Kam Wah Chung Company Building on OBP and while dividing the painted hills we decided to check out John Day for some food and came across the building on the way into town. Quite a special place.

J. Irene Valli

Went here with my husband and took the tour. We really enjoyed what was there and the building is quite unique. I wish we had had more time in the info building, but the tour ran long. Please be aware that not all tour guides are very good. I work for a museum myself, so I know what to look out for. Our guide was very charming, but he added a lot of conjecture and his own opinions to the tour which skewed the provable history of the space. Like all history, there are gaps in the timeline and the story. As historians, we are supposed to acknowledge those gaps, not fill them with some story we invent in our heads (which is what our guide did). If you go on a tour, watch out for statements like "we believe," "I think," and "because of this." These statements mean "I don't know for a fact this happened, but you should trust my idea because I work here." Another red flag are contradiction in the story. For example, in Canyon City, nearly all European homesteaders employed and depended on Chinese laborers. There are first-hand records from a homesteading woman who described how cooperative it was and that chinese were regarded as hard workers. Yet, our tour guide implied that Chinatown in Canyon city was destroyed by a racists arsonist even though there is absolutely no proof of how the fire started. Same with the bullet hole and tin laminated on the door of kam-wah-chung. There is no record. Assumptions should not be made.

Sally Lawrence

I love all the Oregon State historic sites and this one did not disappoint! I recommend scheduling your free tour in advance. Kat gave an excellent tour, explaining the history of the building and how two Chinese men ultimately were able to integrate into the community.

Eric Jacobson

Very interesting place to visit. Johnday was really dependent upon the Chinese settlers who lived there in the early days despite obvious oppression and outright violence. This chamber trapped in time showed the great deal of investing and services provided to community.