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| Landmark #924 | Marin County | Visited: February 19, 2012 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | China Camp State Park! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: One of the earliest, largest, and most productive Chinese fishing villages in California, China Camp was in operation by 1870. The Chinese immigrants and their descendants introduced the use of commercial netting to catch bay shrimp off Point San Pedro. The shrimp were then dried and exported to Chinese throughout the world. China Camp represents the last surviving Chinese shrimp fishing village in California.
OTHER TIDBITS: In the late 1800s, shrimp were not very popular in the United States, but the Chinese loved them for flavoring soups and sauces! Many Chinese immigrants, fresh off their Gold Rush railroad work, settled into shrimp fishing and export from the San Francisco Bay, at a rate of three million pounds of shrimp every year! Despite the fact that the US was not a big consumer of shrimp, the government, having already passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, specifically outlawed shrimp export and the type of net used by Chinese fishermen! Camps all along the Bay shut down as government bans on shrimp fishing came and went, until China Camp was the only one left! In 2012, the government decided this one did not deserve further funding and nearly shut it down! Luckily, it was pulled up by a private organization, whom you can help too! This landmark is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: China Camp Village China Camp State Park On N San Pedro Rd 5.3 mi SE of State Hwy 101 Santa Venetia, CA 94901 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~397mi (639km) — 6.7hrs |
| When should I go? | Whenever the mood strikes you! |
