Like other parts of the country, Asian immigrants have a long history in Alaska. Besides building railroads and working in mines, they also played a major role in the cannery industry.
As Alaska Public Media’s Jeff Chen reports, the Chinese immigrants who arrived before statehood helped grow Alaska’s wild salmon industry into the international, multi-billion-dollar economy that it is today.
Photos and footage in this story were generously provided by:
Bruce Anderson and Jensen Hall Creative for NN Cannery History Project
JF Heinbockel / Payne-Heinbockel family
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
University of Washington Libraries Special Collections
Ole Mathisen
Alaska Film Archives
For more information on the historical documentation projects discussed in this video, check out the links below.
https://nncanneryproject.com/
https://chinesecannerylaborers.home.blog
