Santa Cruz's last Chinatown, known as Birkenseer’s Chinatown, along the San Lorenzo River, c. 1905. Photo from UC Santa Cruz Special Collections
There was once a vibrant Chinatown right next to the San Lorenzo River from 1905 until 1955, but too many Santa Cruzans have forgotten or never learned this chapter of our local history. The Dragon Gate monument at Chinatown Bridge along the San Lorenzo River honors the Chinese pioneers who helped shape the historic fabric of Santa Cruz while overcoming fierce discrimination. Learning or remembering our past is a key part of realizing Santa Cruz’s vision of a healthy, welcoming, and fun San Lorenzo River that connects our diverse community to nature. In this video above, members of the Chinese-American community share their stories of Santa Cruz’s last Chinatown and connections to the San Lorenzo River past and present.
Chinese Pioneers in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz was home to four Chinatowns from 1862 to 1955. Early Chinese immigrants did hard work as cleaners and cooks, and some created businesses. They built community while enduring strong anti-Chinese sentiment from locals.
Santa Cruz’s Last Chinatown at the San Lorenzo River
Chinatown was a refuge by the San Lorenzo River. Here, residents tended gardens, fished, and crossed the river on a footbridge near Many were men who could not marry under discriminatory laws, leaving few descendants to carry on their stories. A major flood in December 1955 destroyed Chinatown and displaced its residents.
Remembering History: Creating the Dragon Gate Monument
To commemorate the residents of Santa Cruz’s Chinatown and the ways they contributed to and shaped this town, the Coastal Watershed Council led the creation of the Dragon Gate monument from 2018–2020. The project included the City of Santa Cruz formally naming the pedestrian bridge as the Chinatown Bridge and the creation of the Dragon Gate public art piece, which consists of a yellowish gold non-traditional Chinese-style gate made of concrete, with a 24-foot water dragon covered with mosaic tiles atop the gate.
Two local artists built a work of public art that includes a modified traditional arch with a mosaic water dragon at the apex. Tom Ralston of Tom Ralston Concrete built the gate and community artist and art teacher Kathleen Crocetti led the design and creation of the water dragon, which is associated with rivers and holds significance in Chinese culture. Additional artists and contributors include Michael Corcoran, Sean Monaghan, Tony Armor of DayOne Solar, Geoffrey Dunn, and Sandy Lydon.
The majority of the funding for the Dragon Gate came from Ow Family Properties, with additional funding support by Arts Council Santa Cruz County and the City of Santa Cruz Arts Program. In addition to financial support, George Ow, Jr. has shaped the creative process and overall project, an effort that means a great deal to the local Chinese-American community. The Dragon Gate was completed in 2020 and welcomes people of all backgrounds to visit and learn about the San Lorenzo River. The Chinese inscription along the gate reads: “In Commemoration of Santa Cruz’s Chinatown: Pioneering Chinese, striving with resilience | Honors earned through countless struggles | Their legacy shall be remembered for generations to come.”
Learn More
Chinese Gold: The Chinese in the Monterey Bay Region by Sandy Lydon (1985). Capitola Book Company.
Chinese Pioneers in Santa Cruz County (https://sc-dragons.org/article-chinese-pioneers-in-santa-cruz-county/)
Watermarks of the Last Chinatown Augmented Reality App
Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History Guided by Ghosts Exhibit
This project was funded by a Coastal Stories grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy.