Ah Louis

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On Wong, more commonly known as Ah Louis, was a Chinese American banker and shopkeeper in San Luis Obispo during the late 19th and early 20th century. He was a central figure in the development of California's Central Coast, serving as an organizer of Chinese laborers during the construction of the Pacific Coast Railroad's Avila/Port Harford spur. Ah died on December 16th in 1936.

Contents 1 History 2 Family 3 Notes 4 References

[edit] History

Ah Louis traveled from his home in Guangzhou (Canton), China, and arrived in California in 1856 in order to strike it rich during the Gold Rush. Unsuccessful at mining, he became a laborer working in Corvallis, Oregon and points further south.

Ah eventually settled in San Luis Obispo, California in 1870 during the construction of the Pacific Coast Railroad, delivering 160 Chinese Americans from San Francisco by schooner.^[1] In 1877, Ah was awarded two large road construction contracts, including a road from Paso Robles, California to Cambria, California (now the western-most portion of State Route 46) and the first stages of a road connecting San Luis Obispo to Paso Robles, California (now referred to as Cuesta Grade, a portion of which is still drivable and is labeled off the freeway as "Old Stagecoach Road" and a portion of U.S. Route 101). In 1884, Ah received the contract to construct the four Cuesta Grade tunnels for the Southern Pacific Railroad, requiring the provision of 2,000 laborers and taking ten years to complete.

Seeing a need for the California central coast's Chinese community, Ah opened a small oriental mercantile in 1874, the first in San Luis Obispo County. His shop still stands at 800 Palm Street on the corner of Chorro Street in downtown San Luis Obispo, marking where San Luis Obispo's Chinatown once stood.^[2] The shop is open to the public for several hours each week. The Ah Louis store has been designated as a California State Historical Landmark number 802^[3] by the United States National Parks Service.^[4]

[edit] Family

Ah Louis left his wife in Canton when he traveled to North America. In May 1889, Ah married Ying Gon (a second wife) in San Francisco and raised eight children including five sons and three daughters.^[5]

[edit] Notes

Google Maps location of Ah Louis' store

[edit] References

1. ^ National Park Service, "An Ethnic Historic Site Survey for California (Chinese Americans): Ah Louis Store"
2. ^ Telegram Tribune review of Ah Louis store
3. ^ California State Parks Office of Historical Preservation
4. ^ National Park Service, "An Ethnic Historic Site Survey for California (Chinese Americans): Ah Louis Store"
5. ^ San Luis Obispo Historical Society's Tolosa Times, July, 2006.