McCormick Lecture: CHINESE IN WINE COUNTRY

Author and 5th generation Napa Valley native John McCormick spoke to a packed house in the Mission Chapel, sharing his research on the overlooked contributions of Chinese immigrants in Napa and Sonoma Counties throughout the 19th century. Chinese laborers played a critical role in the early development of vineyards and wineries, as well as in hop farms, leather tanneries, quicksilver mines, and laundries, in spite of the powerful political forces working against them. Chinese communities grew in Wine Country, undeterred by Anti-Chinese Leagues, the Chinese Exclusion Act, and other forms of discrimination. Mr. McCormick’s book, Chinese in Napa Valley, the Forgotten Community that Built Wine Country, is available for purchase in the Park Store in the Barracks.