Chinatown (Early Name of Dayton)

"This 'Chinatown' is one of many named 'Chinatowns' in Nevada. What separates this one is the fact that is probably THE first in the state. At the time of Nevada's statehood, there were less white men than Chinese, presenting a problem when it was time to apply for statehood in 1864. Looks like Nevada barely met its quota of 60,000 citizens. But what of the Chinese? A chinaman was considered one-fifth of a person and excluded as a "citizen." Oh snap, is that too harsh? I bet you won't find that fact on any historical markers. Pays to know your history." -- May 2007

[163]       

SW corner of US 50 and Dayton Valley Road -- Dayton

Lyon
  39.236263, -119.589372

Original Date Visited: 5/30/07
Revisited: 11/14/22
Signed: Both lanes of US 50

Marker History: The original alloted spot for Marker 7 in April of 1994 was on the northeast corner of Dayton's main intersection of US 50 (Main Street/Dayton Valley Rd.) on the grounds of the Carson & Colorado Railroad Depot building. This would've been the most ideal locations, but funds and land allotments forced the Office to choose its present spot on the southwest corner here. With rapid growth in the Dayton area, this one quickly fell to the wayside. This busy intersection required a complete upgrade to a four-lane highway status through town and the fate of the marker looked uncertain. Five years later, the Nevada Department of Transportation finished the road project in a surprising way by installing a metal plaque, so consistent with the Standard style you see in most markers, that covers its original Stone face.

At the height of Nevada's 150th Sesquicentennial in 2015, the SHPO removed the metal plaque and completely re-etched the lettering you see today as an homage to the past. Marker 7's location is a bit of a headache, but an understandable compromise. Back in the day, before Dayton's massive surge of growth, Marker 7 was okay, but today it seems a little out of place. Every now and then the thousands of commuters who travel past this intersection every single day may or may not notice it out of the corner of their eye as they're stopped at the traffic light.

TWO FOR ONE

This marker shares its site with - 7 - Dayton

Street View

Here's what you'll see!

Exact Description (original):
The first Chinese were brought to this site in 1856 to build the "Reese" ditch from the Carson River to the entrance of Gold Canyon. The ditch was used for placer mining. The Chinese soon began reworking the placers. Earning a living from those abandoned by the miners, so many Chinese followed (200) that the settlement was called Chinatown. The name was changed to Dayton in 1861 in honor of John Day, who laid out the town and later became General of Nevada.

Exact Description (new):
Dayton is the site of Nevada’s first China Town. By the mid-nineteenth century, hundreds of thousands of immigrants from China, along with immigrants from Japan and Korea, moved to the United States, They were pushed by economic disruption in their home countries and pulled by the promises of gold and employment in the Rocky Mountain West.

The Dayton Chinese were hired by Edward Rose in August 1857 to dig the four-mile Rose Ditch from the mouth of the Carson River west of town to the miners working the placers at the entrance to Gold Canyon. Despite discrimination, the promise of jobs compelled the Chinese to stay. They mined in Gold Canyon and settled along the Carson River in this area. The community continued to be an important hub for Chinese Americans in Nevada into the 1880s.

Dayton VS. Genoa

US 50 Roadtrip
 COVERED IN MY US 50 ROAD TRIP

Next Marker

BUTTON POINT

Related Links & Markers:

 - 7 - Dayton   - 29 - Chinese in Nevada   History of Dayton   Dayton State Park (Nevada State Parks)   Chinatown Historic Photos of Dayton 

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