Anecdotes & Antidotes: 25 Years At Kam Wah Chung

Anecdotes & Antidotes: 25 Years At Kam Wah Chung

As the gold rush of the late 1800's came to a close in the Eastern Oregon boom towns in the John Day Country, "Doc" Ing Hay's Kam Wah Chung Company became the focus of the rapidly shrinking Chinese population. In the stone building that still stands, Doc Hay practiced Chinese herbal medicine administering healing to the Chinese and white communities alike until his death in 1952. At that time the building was sealed up and not opened again until 1977 when it became a museum. A lifetime collection of herbal medicines and other artifacts, some dating back to well before the turn of the 19th century, are on display. In 1980, Carolyn Micnhimer became the curator of the museum and served her community there for the next twenty-five years. She preserved the building and its contents in the order in which they had been rediscovered and did extensive research on their origins. Additionally, she kept notes of anecdotes that visitors to the museum imparted. Many of these dealt specifically with experiences people had with the Chinese and particularly with "Doc" Hay. It is those notes that became this book. An invaluable contribution to a unique part of Oregon's oral history, through her efforts has been preserved.