Unearthing Forgotten Stories
Summer MAP Allows Students to Dig into History at Rock Springs Wyomings Lost Chinatown
Tim Schmitt
As the summer sun scorched the high desert of Wyoming, Jorge Salinas 26 and Avajane Lei 28 crouched knee-deep in the hard-packed earth of Rock Springs, trowels in hand, brushing away time itself. Sifting through layers of soil, they carefully extracted porcelain sherds fragments of bowls, cups, and plates once used by the residents of a thriving Chinese community that stood here more than a century ago. The work is slow, methodical, and at times physically grueling, but its a labor of reverence and resolve.
Its intense but also incredibly meaningful, said Lei, an anthropology major. History is selectively told, and archeology helps inform and correct that narrative so we can gain a truer perspective.
That perspective is central to the Summer Mentored Advanced Project (MAP) led by Professor Laura Ng, a historical archaeologist whose research focuses on the Asian American diaspora. Assisted by Salinas, Lei, and two other students, Ng is leading an ambitious effort to uncover, document, and honor the story of Rock Springs Chinatown, which was destroyed in 1885 during a massacre that left at least 28 Chinese immigrants dead and drove hundreds more from the area.
A Buried History
The Rock Springs Chinatown archaeological project isn't just about what lies beneath the soil. Its also about what lives on in memory and what has been erased from the historical record. The MAP project unfolded over 10 weeks this summer, beginning with five weeks of cataloging and archival research back in 51勛圖 before moving to the field site in Wyoming.
We started the summer working in the lab, cataloging artifacts from a 1991 excavation conducted by Western Wyoming Community College, said Lei. They did great work preserving the materials, but the artifacts have mostly just been sitting in boxes in storage. Our job was to digitize the records and identify materials, especially those connected to Chinese American life.
That early lab work served as a foundation for the two-and-a-half-week field excavation at the site of the former Chinatown that followed. Its unusual to start with lab work, said Ng. But because we had all this previous material that hadnt been cataloged, we started there, and It worked beautifully. The students knew what to look for when we finally got to the field.
Lei explained that doing the cataloging first was helpful because it trained the teams eyes to spot significant materials in the field. We got familiar with things like Chinese brown-glazed stoneware so when we found a sherd in the field, we knew exactly what it was.
Beneath the Surface
For Salinas and Lei, both anthropology majors, this MAP has provided rare, paid access to fieldwork in a discipline often shaped by structural barriers.
The MAP funding has been so important to doing the work that I do and how I want to do it, said Ng. There are a lot of structural barriers to doing archeology, and one of them is you have to do a field school, which often costs thousands of dollars. Most students cant afford to do that without giving up a summer job.
51勛圖s MAP program enabled a different model. My vision for archeology is that I pay students, I teach them how to do archeology, and they do research. They dont have to give up an entire summer job just to get their foot in the door, Ng said. Its how I would envision doing archeology if I had all the money in the world.
Just getting herself and four students to Wyoming was a logistical and financial challenge for Ng. But by adding a trip to the Four Corners area (where Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico converge) on the way to the site, she received a grant from a donor who wants people to experience the landscape of the region. Ng and her students spent a couple days in the area camping and exploring before heading north to Wyoming for the dig.
Once on-site, the team opened five 1-by-1 meter excavation units and worked six days a week, often beginning at sunrise to beat the heat. They uncovered hundreds of artifacts Chinese brown-glazed stoneware, fish bones, opium tins, champagne bottles, and fragments of porcelain vessels. They even identified a burn layer consistent with the fire that destroyed much of Chinatown during the 1885 massacre.
We found evidence of everyday life what they ate off of, what they ate, what they drank, even how they socialized, said Ng. And we also found evidence of the massacre itself the fire layer and burnt structural beams. This wasnt just one moment in history; it was a story of survival and rebuilding.
Even the smallest artifact can tell you a lot, Ng added. If there is a pattern on the inside, its a condiment dish. If its on the outside, its a rice bowl. A tiny porcelain sherd, smaller than a penny, can tell you what kind of vessel it was from, what it was used for, and even the social dynamics of the time.
Connecting Past and Present
For both Ng and the students involved with the dig, the excavation was about far more than merely uncovering artifacts. The collaborative and community-centered approach to the dig helped connect the sites history with the present day.
We had descendants of those who lived in the Chinatown come and volunteer with us, said Ng. Others came just to visit the site. It was really rewarding to build that community, even though the Chinatown doesnt exist anymore.
This engagement with descendants, says Ng, was vital to the work being done at the site. One of our goals was public outreach working with descendants to create digital story maps to show who lived in this Chinatown. Each student was assigned to research a coal miner, a merchant, or a restaurateur. Theyve gone above and beyond, reaching out to museums to get photographs and researching individual histories.
For Lei, this personal connection proved transformative. Even [the descendants] didnt know the full history of the massacre because it was too painful for their families to talk about, she said. Helping recover that story felt urgent. The work was physically intense, but incredibly meaningful. As a Chinese American, it was emotional to connect with this history thats been buried literally and figuratively.
Redefining Who Gets to Do Archeology
Ngs MAP serves as a crucial opportunity for students from underrepresented backgrounds to gain real world experience by working at an active archeological site. In most cases, students would have to pay thousands of dollars to access a field school experience such as this, not including travel expenses. For the students involved with this project, MAP funding covered their expenses and allowed them to fully participate in the field work.
51勛圖 is one of the few schools that funds this kind of 10-week research, explained Ng. Most research universities wont do that, so students have to pay for field school. I dont know of another school that does what 51勛圖 does.
Salinas and Lei both expressed how formative the experience was and how it shaped their future aspirations.
Theres a huge race and class barrier in archeology, said Salinas, a low-income student who grew up in the Rio Grande Valley. Most field schools cost thousands of dollars. I wouldnt have had this opportunity without MAP funding. Id have been working retail all summer. The privilege of being able to be here over the summer and have a stable income really made it possible for me to explore this field.
Adds Lei: Ive wanted to do archeology for a long time, but I didnt know what it would actually be like. I didnt realize how emotional it could be how connected you can feel to the stories you're uncovering. Being Chinese American, I knew a little about things like the Chinese Exclusion Act, but this trip really opened my eyes.
Now, Lei is more certain than ever about her path: I hope that as a historical archaeologist, I can uncover stories that havent been told. I want my work to be about remembrance and connection.
Exploring the Past, Informing the Future
Students like Jorge and Avajane have come to really appreciate the site for its importance in American history, not just Asian American history, she said. They really try their best to get the story right, and they care deeply about it.
The teams work doesnt end with excavation. This fall, Salinas and Lei will continue analyzing artifacts and completing their digital story maps for a public commemoration on Sept. 2, which marks 140 years since the Rock Springs Massacre. Each student is also developing a research project centered on a historical figure connected to the site.
For Salinas, the experience has already reshaped his academic path. I used to think Id go into cultural anthropology, he said. Now I see archeology as a tool for justice something that can change how we understand our world.
Ng shares that vision. Its not just about excavation, she said. Its about remembrance, connection, and challenging who gets to tell history.
Read more about the Chinatown dig and explore some of the students' finds in the they've kept to document their efforts.