By Jeff Ferreira-Pro
President, Folsom Historical Society

The discovery of Gold in California triggered a mass migration from all over the world that occurred very suddenly. California’s population increased 6-fold in 20 years. Immigrants from China were major contributors to this growth. By 1880, Folsom’s Chinese community was among the largest in the state.

Today, much of this history seems to have been forgotten. Who were these Chinese immigrants? Why did they come to California? How did their descendants become the Chinese American community of today? These are the questions we will be exploring in the future Folsom Chinese Heritage Museum.

Our challenge

Some traditional history museums obsess over “getting the story right”. Our view is that history isn’t just one story. It is the combination of many perspectives. However, much of the historical record from the Gold Rush era comes from an ethically white perspective.

Our approach

Our goal is to show that the Chinese American perspective is equally valid even when it is not as well documented. We intend to offer context. For example, we’ll explore the economic conditions in China at the time of the Gold Rush and why that may have encouraged Chinese immigration to California.

We will also offer stories from the Chinese community in Folsom during the Gold Rush era. Sometimes, where evidence is lacking, these stories may be a combination of fact and conjecture. We’ll present the evidence we have, offer multiple different interpretations, and let our visitors decide what to believe.

Current project status

The museum will be housed in the Chan House at 917 Sutter Street. We are nearly finished with the building restoration. Our next step will be designing the Chinese Garden and the exhibit experience inside the house. This effort has been on hold because of the pandemic. We will be posting updates on our website folsomhistoricalsociety.org as the project continues.