Mini Tour
Chinatown
In 1902, a red brick adobe Joss House was built and the Altar contained these two tall wood panels with lettering. The Joss House was once the center of Chinatown cultural life. Click the "read more" link for a translation of the Chinese characters.
In the 10th century in China, fetish and lotus shoes generated new outlets for sexual expression. A foot no longer than three inches was the cultural ideal. Foot binding fell out of favor when China became a republic in 1912.
The Humboldt Museum proudly displays a drawing of Winnemucca's Chinatown district, circa 1901-1910. The drawing was made from memory by James R. Chew, when he visited the Museum in the 1970s. Mr. Chew also contributed a detailed description of the places and people shown in the drawing; click "read more" to read Mr. Chew's fascinating description of life in Chinatown just after the turn of the century.
The Chinese cemetery was established in 1868, north of the Humboldt River in the vicinity of the Humboldt Museum complex. The Chinese picket-fenced their graveyard in the 1880s, but by 1962, all fences had disappeared and the cemetery is no longer there.
This idealized life-like doll is called "The Chinese Anatomy Doll." It was used for describing the location of pain, as Chinese women did not disrobe before their physicians.