California Story Fund
The Chinese Community in Ventura County
Ventura County Chinese American Association
Oxnard
Project director: Linda Bentz
Rediscovering an early 20th century Chinese community
At the turn of the century, Oxnard, in Ventura Country, was home to a small Chinese community and a one-block Chinatown called China Alley. Chinese laborers moved to Oxnard to work in a sugar beet factory established there in 1899. Although most of the Chinese population left Oxnard during the Depression, descendants of several families are still there and two of the original China Alley buildings remain.
This project focused on the history of the Chinese community in Oxnard through photographs, oral history interviews, newspaper files and immigration records. According to Linda Bentz, project director, this is a story that has not been told before. "It is important that we record and keep this history for future generations," she said. The material was used to create an exhibit and a website.
To find out more about the project, visit the Ventura County Chinese American Society website.