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May 1887 – Hells Canyon, Oregon: The Hells Canyon Massacre of Chinese Miners

Date:July 1887
Location:Hells Canyon on Snake River, Oregon
Event Type:Massacre
Victim Names:Unnamed
Victim Gender:Male
No. of Victims:34
Accusation:Labor dispute
Compiled By:Monroe Work Project
Map showing location of Hells Canyon on Snake River, Oregon

Narrative

In May 1887 in Hells Canyon on the Oregon-Idaho border, a gang of horse thieves ambushed and massacred Chinese gold miners. At least 34 Chinese miners were killed and robbed. Only three men escaped to report the crime. This remains one of the largest known anti-Chinese massacres in U.S. history.

Related Newspaper Article(s)

A severe warning to Chinese miners comes from an Idaho mining region.

The Lebanon Express (Lebanon, Oregon)

July 1, 1887 (Page 2)

An Idaho mining-region report claims an entire camp of Chinese miners was slaughtered overnight—likely by hostile white miners resentful of Chinese competition—serving as a grim “warning” against further Chinese intrusion.

The Snake River Massacre not Confirmed

Asheville Citizen-Times (Asheville, North Carolina)

July 9, 1887 (Page 1)

Portland dispatches say rumors of a Snake River massacre remain unverified: several Chinese bodies are found, perhaps drowned during boat travel, but no solid proof of mass murder; robbery of gold “clean-ups” is suspected.

The Chinese Massacre in Oregon

Lancaster New Era (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)

July 18, 1887 (Page 1)

Detectives returning to Portland doubt whites or Indians killed Chinese miners whose bodies surfaced in Oregon’s Snake River; evidence suggests rival Chinese factions committed the murders amid fierce placer-gold competition.