Monday, August 17,2009 John Day, OR

Delightful day off.. . . Slept late (7 am). Walked down the street to the Outpost for breakfast of Huckleberry pancakes, bacon and eggs. Then wandered around Main St. - bought post cards and a new belt to replace the old one that fell apart. Cleaned my TREK really well. Visited the Kam Wah Chung & Co. Museum. This old Chinese home/store/apothecary (name means Golden Flower of Prosperity) is the oldest preserved Chinese building in America. Two gentlemen arrived from China at 18 years of age in about 1880, having left their wives and children behind in a land that was war torn and in hard economic times, to make their fortune. Because of the gold rush near here they settled in John Day, where they eventually bought a small building in the section of town reserved for the Chinese immigrants who worked in the mines. Leon (Lung On) was a merchant and scholar and liked to wear western clothing. Ing Hay was a herbal doctor and pharmacist. During their early years they experienced discrimination as did all the Chinese workers, but eventually these two gentlemen became accepted by the townspeople and folks from a wide area traveled by horseback and covered wagon to be treated by Dr. Hay. Leon kept a well stocked store for the Chinese workers, as well as locals. When they died in 1940 and 1952 respectively, their stone building was locked and forgotten for about 30 years. Looters stole from the wooden addition to the home, but when historians opened the rest of the building, they found everything just as the men had left it, even the fresh fruit on the various room altars, canned goods, Kentucky bourbon, hundreds of herbs and other medicinal ingredients ( bear paw, snake water). It was just amazing what was found. The building also included their sleeping quarters and a kitchen. It's well worth a trip to John Day to visit this museum that is now on the National Historic Register. . . . . We're expecting a beautiful day tomorrow and I'mlooking to riding again.