[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 122 (Thursday, August 6, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9004-S9005]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER:
  S. 1596. A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire 
the Gold Hill Ranch in Coloma, California; to the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise to discuss the Gold Hill-Wakamatsu 
Preservation Act. This legislation would authorize the Bureau of Land 
Management to acquire and manage the Gold Hill Ranch near Coloma, 
California. This site was the location of the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk 
Colony from 1869 to 1871, recognized by the State of California and 
Japanese American Citizens League as the first Japanese settlement in 
the United States.
  After Commodore William Perry opened Japanese ports to U.S. trade, 
the weakness of Japan's shoguns was exposed, leading to a revolution 
and return to imperial rule under the Meiji emperor. In 1869, seven 
Japanese individuals and a European expatriate fled the turmoil in 
Japan and sailed across the Pacific to San Francisco aboard a side 
wheeler called the ``China.'' The group made their way eastwards and 
purchased land in Gold Hill. Within 2 years, the colony grew to 22 
Japanese settlers and began producing traditional Japanese crops such 
as tea, silk, rice, and bamboo. The Japanese colonists and surrounding 
community

[[Page S9005]]

learned about each others' culture and agricultural techniques. Local 
and San Francisco newspapers wrote about the colony, and the settlers 
began to receive acceptance in American society.
  Unfortunately, the colony was short-lived--drought and financial 
problems forced the group to disperse and settle throughout California 
beginning in 1871. The Veerkamp family, which owned neighboring lands, 
purchased the property in 1875. Despite the short history of the 
colony, it was an important milestone that helped bridge Japanese and 
American cultures and paved the way for large-scale emigration of 
Japanese settlers to the United States. It also contributed to major 
Japanese influences on the agricultural economy of California.
  Many of the original structures on the site remain intact, including 
a farmhouse, the grave of a young girl named Okei, numerous artifacts, 
and agricultural plantings. Japanese-Americans and other visitors come 
to see the site and place offerings on Okei's grave. As a testament to 
the cultural exchanges that occurred at this site, the Gold Trail 
Middle School, located on an in-holding carved out of this site, now 
maintains an exchange program with a sister school in Wakamatsu, Japan. 
Governor Reagan recognized the property as a State historic site in 
1969, and the site is currently being considered for listing on the 
National Register of Historic Places.
  The 272-acre ranch encompassing the original colony site has been 
passed down for generations through the Veerkamp family. Thanks to the 
hard work of the American River Conservancy and Wakamatsu Gold Hill 
Colony Foundation as well as the generous accommodation of the Veerkamp 
family, the site has been preserved for visitors to come and learn 
about the history of the Wakamatsu colonists and Japanese-American 
culture. The site provides multiple other benefits, including wildlife 
habitat, open space with hiking trails and picnic areas, and grazing 
and pastureland. The family and non-profit partners agree that federal 
acquisition would help guarantee that the site's cultural history, 
agricultural character, and open space are permanently preserved for 
generations to come. The Bureau of Land Management is well-suited to 
manage this site since it has an excellent relationship with the local 
community and manages several other sites nearby.
  This project is supported by the Japanese American Citizens League, 
the National Japanese American Historical Society, the Consul General 
of Japan, the Governor of Fukishima Prefecture and the Mayor of 
Wakamatsu in Japan, People-to-People International, the El Dorado 
County Board of Supervisors, the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, 
numerous elected officials including Assemblyman Ted Gaines, who 
represents this district, and numerous other members of the local 
community.
  The significance of this site for Japanese Americans has been 
compared to the significance of the Mayflower journey and Plymouth Rock 
landing for European Americans. This site is testament to Japanese 
history, California's agricultural economy, and the American tradition 
of bringing together people of diverse cultures in the common pursuit 
of freedom and prosperity. I look forward to working with my Senate 
colleagues to move this legislation and preserve the story of the 
Wakamatsu colonists for future generations.
                                 ______