Chinatown, Denver

Chinatown in Denver, Colorado, was a Chinatown in what is now the LoDo section of the city.[1] The June 29, 1869, Colorado Tribune announced "the first John Chinaman in Denver." By 1880 the census listed 238 Chinese living in Denver, and a Chinese consul visiting Denver estimated 450. Also referred to as "Hop Alley," Chinatown extended from approximately 15th St. to 20th St., and from Market St. to Wazee St. A race riot on October 31, 1880, killed one Chinese man and ransacked or burned much of Chinatown.[2][3] A plaque on the southeast corner of 20th St. and Blake St. commemorates the riot and former Chinatown.[3] [4]

Denver Chinatown
Neighborhood of Denver
LoDo/Wazee Street was once Denver's Chinatown
Country United States
StateColorado
CityDenver
Area code(s)Area code 303

History

The Chinatown originally consisted of laborers who were encouraged to move to the area by the Colorado Territorial Legislature.[5] However, by 1880, a riot had virtually destroyed the Chinatown, mainly caused by whites who feared their jobs would be taken by the laborers who moved from California.[6]

An archaeological dig indicated that there were at least three Chinatowns in the city of Denver, with the last being located on Market and Larimer Streets. According to the article, Denver's Chinese population at the time grew to approximately 3,000 around the beginning of the 20th century.[7]

References
  1. "Remembering when Denver had a Chinatown".
  2. "Denver's Anti-Chinese Riot, 1880" (PDF).
  3. "Denver's Hop Alley and Chinatown".
  4. "On Halloween Nearly 150 Years Ago, An Anti-Chinese Riot Broke Out In Denver. It Was The City's First Race Riot".
  5. "DENVER CHINATOWN - Encyclopedia of the Great Plains".
  6. "DENVER'S ANTI-CHINESE RIOT".
  7. Sarah M. Nelson; K Lynn Berry; Richard F. Carillo; Bonnie J. Clark; Lori E. Rhodes; Dean Saitta. "Denver: An Archaeological History".
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