457:
Veerkamp who was friends with Okei in his younger years. The attention led to an influx of
Japanese Americans (now facing strict anti-alien laws) in 1924 coming to tend to Okei's gravesite and emphasized the colony as the beginning of Japanese immigration. The 1969 governor of California, future president Ronald Reagan, declared the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk farm to be California Historical Landmark No. 815. The year 1969 was designated by the Japanese American community to be the Japanese American Centennial. This designation drew the attendance of Matsudaira Ichiro (Matsudaira Katamori's grandson) and Japanese Consul General Shima Seiichi to the event supporting both the proclamation of Wakamatsu as a historical site, as well as the date of the centennial. A
422:. The colony hoped to establish an agricultural settlement and purchased approximately 200 acres of land, a farmhouse, and farm outbuildings from Charles Graner, the settler for the Gold Hill Ranch (1856) in June 1869. They displayed their silk cocoons, tea and oil plants at the 1869 California State Agricultural Fair in Sacramento and the 1870 Horticultural Fair in San Francisco. However, the drought of 1871 along with other misfortunes such as inadequate funding and a labor dispute led to the bankruptcy of the colony. The final nail in the coffin was the withdrawal of funding by Matsudaira Katamori who was, surprisingly, pardoned by the new Meiji government during the beginning of the Meiji restoration and became a
62:
481:,. Due to the efforts of ARC and its project partners, the Wakamatsu site is now open to the public throughout the year for private and public tours of the historical sites on the property, festivals, and other scheduled events. The property is not a public park and is not open to the public except during scheduled events. Two small farms lease portions of the land and homes from the ARC and practice sustainable agriculture there, in keeping with the historical use of the land as a farm by both the Japanese colonists and the Veerkamp family.
505:
78:
469:
also found photographs taken of the colonists by the studio of Robert Miller in
Placerville (1870) in an envelope. Later that year, the family appealed to the American River Conservancy (ARC) to ask for help in restoration of the Graner-Wakamatsu-Veerkamp farmhouse, providing public access and interpretation of the cultural history of the farm. The ARC purchased the site on November 1, 2010 for the appraised market value. Thanks to the efforts of Congressional District Representative
448:
19. She is believed to be the first
Japanese woman buried on American soil. Her grave can be found on a hill overlooking the Gold Trail School with a tombstone stating "In Memory of Okei, Died 1871. Aged 19 years. A Japanese Girl" in English on the front and in Japanese on the back. The tombstone seen on the site now is a replica of the original which has been taken down for preservation. There is also a replica of her gravestone in Aizuwakamatsu, erected in 1958.
493:
85:
224:. The group purchased land from Charles Graner family in the Gold Hill region after coming to San Francisco in 1869. Though the group was able to successfully show their produce during the 1869 California State Agricultural Fair in Sacramento and the 1870 Horticultural Fair in San Francisco, the farm as a Japanese colony only existed between 1869 and 1871.
426:. Schnell and his family told the other colonists that he and his family would return to Japan to request more funding from Matsudaira. Unfortunately, the fates of him and his family are unknown as they did not return to California, leading the colonists to believe that they were abandoned in the new world.
442:
The fates of only three of the colonists are known for certain. Matsunosuke
Sakurai stayed to work for the new landowners until his death in 1901. Masumizu Kuninosuke married an African/American Indian woman named Carrie Wilson in Coloma in 1877 and eventually moved to Sacramento where he lived until
468:
The
Veerkamp family donated the original silk and gold-thread banner with the Tokugawa/Matsudaira lotus blossom crest along with a ceremonial dagger believed to have belonged to Jou Schnell (John Henry Schnell's wife) to the Marshall Gold State Historic Park in 2001. In 2007, a member of the family
447:
area today. Finally, Okei Ito, who came to the
Wakamatsu colony as a nursemaid for the Schnell family at age 17, also stayed in Gold Hill under the employment of the Veercamp family. Unfortunately, Okei's journey in the new world was short lived as she died two years later of illness at the age of
456:
Though the
Veerkamp family changed the purpose of the farm and for 125 years grazed cattle and operated a dairy farm, they worked to preserve remnants of the Japanese Colony. In the 1920s, there was an increase of interest in the former Japanese farm. Henry Taketa interviewed a 75-year-old Henry
382:
was condemned to death. His surrender placed
Schnell and his family's life in danger. Because of this, Schnell asked for funding from Matsudaira and commissioned the SS China to transport his family and other samurai families to the United States. They took with them 50,000 three-year-old kuwa
370:
did not have any diplomatic treaties with
Germany. Because of this, Schnell dealt with the Japanese by masquerading as a Dutch trader. John Schnell trained Matsudaira's samurai in the use of the firearms and gained samurai status along with a Japanese name. This allowed him to marry a Japanese
235:, then governor of California, proclaimed the colony to be California Historical Landmark No. 815. The family preserved the heritage of the farm and Okei's grave for 137 years until the American River Conservancy purchased the land in November 2010, with the
271:(1853–54). By 1860, the previous cultural isolation and government was starting to disintegrate, separating the country into two groups: those who opposed the isolation and sought change and those who supported the isolation and shogunate rule.
596:
438:
and the purchase of the land by the
Francis Veerkamp family in 1873. A handful stayed and many sold their possessions in order to survive. Some returned to Japan, while others settled elsewhere looking for work.
912:
477:, there were bills introduced to the House and Senate to help the management of the ranch, which was registered at the level of "national significance" to the National Register of Historic Places by the
747:
227:
Okei Ito, the first known Japanese woman to be buried on American soil, has her grave on the land. The Veerkamp family purchased the farm following the withdrawal of financial support from financier
603:
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at a level of "national significance". American River Conservancy offers private and public tours of the property, including Okei Ito's gravesite.
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240:
34:
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61:
331:
who wanted to overthrow the current Shogunate and daimyo rule as they felt it was too weak to deal with foreign forces like the
848:(Draft National Register of Historic Places Registration Form). Past Forward, Inc. – via California Parks and Recreation.
634:"Lecture Note: The True Story of the Last Samurai Who Were the First to Colonize America—Filmmaker Brian T. Maeda—Jan 19, 2010"
43:
842:
287:
of the Aizu Wakamatsu Province (today's Fukushima Prefecture) and disagreed with the Tokugawa policy of isolation.
661:"Historic Japanese Photograph Collection Presented to California State," Pacific Citizen, June 16–29, 2017, p. 8.
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was placed at the site then by the Parks and Recreation State Department in cooperation with
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shoots, cooking utensils, and swords. They caught the attention of the press, including the
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rule and considered an isolated country. It had few external trade partners, primarily the
931:
917:
470:
336:
597:"History of the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Colony: Resurrecting the Wakamatsu Farm Colony"
216:
outside of Japan. The group was made up of 22 people from samurai families during the
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383:(mulberry trees) used for the cultivation of silk worms and six million tea seeds.
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719:"Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony (Nol. 815 California Historical Landmark)"
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217:
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samurai class woman (Jou) which strengthened his ties to Japanese society.
283:
465:, El Dorado Historical Society and Friends of the Centennial Observance.
400:
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his death in 1915. There is still extensive family of Kuninosuke in the
434:
Many of the colonists dispersed following the perceived abandonment of
231:(1835–93). In 1969, the same year as the Japanese American centennial,
213:
633:
423:
411:
367:
355:
863:"Henry Schnell and the Japanese Immigration to the United States"
804:
550:
780:"American River Conservancy Acquires First Japanese Colony Site"
403:
343:
force of samurai was defeated by the larger number sent by the
208:
is believed to be the first permanent Japanese settlement in
768:
Plaque at Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony, June 7, 1969
319:(today's Kagoshima).The Satsuma, along with the forces of
84:
532:. Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks
841:
Allen, Rebecca & Wooten, Kimberly (March 15, 2009).
66:
Site of Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony December 2013
870:
Journal of International Relations, Asia University
194:
186:
181:
170:
157:
149:
112:
102:
676:Journal of Sierra Nevada History & Biography
510:National Register of Historic Places portal
350:John Henry Schnell was an early member of the
965:States and territories disestablished in 1871
8:
602:. American River Conservancy. Archived from
785:(Press release). American River Conservancy
742:
740:
975:Japanese-American culture in San Francisco
970:States and territories established in 1869
927:"Wakamatsu Colony: Okei's California Home"
590:
295:. Eventually tensions boiled over and the
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35:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
395:on May 20, 1869. They brought with them
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521:
27:Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony Farm
854:"Gold Hill–Wakamatsu Preservation Act"
805:"National Register Information System"
551:"National Register Information System"
291:subscribed to the political notion of
18:
913:"They Brought Their Hopes and Dreams"
904:"Restoring the Wakamatsu Colony Farm"
861:Kawaguchi, Hirohisa (November 1991).
7:
843:"Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Colony Farm"
810:National Register of Historic Places
748:"Wakamatsu: A Rich, Diverse History"
657:
655:
556:National Register of Historic Places
530:"Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony"
335:, who wanted to force trade. At the
293:"Eastern ethics and Western Science"
277:, related by marriage to the ruling
241:National Register of Historic Places
925:Yoshida, Junko (February 2, 2019),
911:Yoshida, Junko (January 20, 2019),
391:The Japanese immigrants arrived in
267:forced trade ports to open for the
906:. American River Conservancy. n.d.
856:. U.S. Government Printing Office.
362:as an arms dealer for cannons and
206:Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony
91:Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony
14:
950:1869 establishments in California
750:. American River Conservancy. n.d
723:Sierra Nevada Geotourism MapGuide
682:(1). Sierra College. Winter 2013.
220:(1868–69) in Japan preceding the
778:Robinson, Noël (November 2010).
503:
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83:
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698:"Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Colony"
315:to lead a campaign against the
172:
159:
47:
44:California Historical Landmark
1:
696:Taber, Shane (May 23, 2011).
416:San Francisco Alta Daily News
374:Due to Matsudaira's loss at
16:United States historic place
418:, who praised the Japanese
212:and the only settlement by
991:
725:. National Geographic. n.d
898:– via I-Repository.
158:NRHP reference
71:
59:
55:
41:
32:
25:
21:
955:History of San Francisco
239:placing the site on the
134:38.770894°N 120.886783°W
707:– via Slideshare.
430:Future of the colonists
265:Commodore Matthew Perry
107:Placerville, California
595:Ehrgott, Alan (n.d.).
139:38.770894; -120.886783
815:National Park Service
609:on September 23, 2015
561:National Park Service
498:California portal
479:National Park Service
358:, he was employed by
237:National Park Service
195:Designated CHISL
366:. During this time,
563:. January 23, 2007.
275:Matsudaira Katamori
263:. After 260 years,
253:17th century, Japan
229:Matsudaira Katamori
130: /
452:Protection of site
436:John Henry Schnell
354:. After coming to
313:Tokugawa shogunate
311:was pushed by the
473:and U.S. Senator
222:Meiji Restoration
202:
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182:Significant dates
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884:. Archived from
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299:began. Being a
279:Tokugawa family
251:From the early
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397:mulberry trees
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337:Battle of Aizu
327:, made up the
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424:Shinto priest
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387:Establishment
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893:. Retrieved
886:the original
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821:February 27,
819:. Retrieved
808:
799:
789:February 10,
787:. Retrieved
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754:February 27,
752:. Retrieved
729:February 27,
727:. Retrieved
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703:February 27,
701:. Retrieved
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644:February 27,
642:. Retrieved
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613:February 10,
611:. Retrieved
604:the original
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534:. Retrieved
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379:
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364:Gatling guns
349:
341:Matsudaira's
300:
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205:
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103:Nearest city
171:CHISL
137: /
125:120°53′12″W
113:Coordinates
960:Silk farms
944:Categories
895:2015-02-28
672:"Okei Ito"
536:2017-03-17
516:References
445:Sacramento
420:work ethic
309:Matsudaira
303:under the
289:Matsudaira
255:was under
122:38°46′15″N
882:0917-3935
408:tea plant
257:Shogunate
153:1869–1871
50: 815
485:See also
401:silkworm
339:(1868),
281:, was a
165:09000397
404:cocoons
345:Emperor
317:Satsuma
247:Context
214:samurai
880:
459:plaque
412:bamboo
380:daimyĹŤ
378:, the
321:Choshu
301:daimyĹŤ
284:daimyĹŤ
46:
889:(PDF)
866:(PDF)
846:(PDF)
783:(PDF)
640:. n.d
607:(PDF)
600:(PDF)
368:Japan
356:Japan
261:Dutch
150:Built
878:ISSN
823:2015
791:2015
756:2015
731:2015
705:2015
646:2015
615:2015
463:JACL
410:and
376:Aizu
325:Tosa
323:and
204:The
198:1996
177:815
173:No.
160:No.
48:No.
946::
929:,
915:,
872:.
868:.
813:.
807:.
739:^
721:.
688:^
678:.
674:.
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636:.
623:^
569:^
559:.
553:.
406:,
399:,
347:.
874:1
825:.
793:.
758:.
733:.
680:5
648:.
617:.
539:.
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