June 1870 – Yreka, California: Two Chinese Men Lynched for the Murder of a Storekeeper

A retrospective compilation in the Sacramento Bee recorded a double lynching in Yreka: “Two Chinese were lynched at Yreka in June, 1870, for the murder of a storekeeper” (Sacramento Bee, Dec. 10, 1920). The same item adds one detail about the alleged entry into the store “on the pretext of purchasing some rice” (Sacramento Bee, Dec. 10, 1920). Although this is a later report rather than a complete contemporary narrative, it helps anchor the event in the historical record, where earlier coverage may be missing or hard to locate. The double lynching in Yreka shows how the geographic reach of anti-Chinese lynching began to spread into small northern towns. Unsurprisingly, the Chinese victims were not named.