FUELING THE BOOM: CHINESE WOODCUTTERS IN THE GREAT BASIN 1870-1920

The exhibit highlights the significance of the woodcutting community near Chinese Camp (Aurora), Nevada, shedding light on the little-known history of the Chinese woodcutters who lived there and felled piñon (or pinyon) pines to supply charcoal and firewood to the mining camps of Bodie and Aurora from approximately 1875 to 1915. It draws on historical objects from the Morrill-Santini Chinese Camp Collection of the Nevada State Museum, historical photographs from the 1950s to 1970s by Robert Morrill, who originally collected the artifacts, and Charcoal Camp (2015-2018), a recent photography project by Apollonia Morrill. The exhibition brings together objects and photos to illuminate the specific history of Chinese Camp within its larger historical context, giving the viewer an image of what this place looked like in the past and today.

The exhibit is co-curated by Robert Morrill, Apollonia Morrill, Dr. Emily Dale, and Dr. Sue Fawn Chung.