[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 124 (Thursday, July 15, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S4923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING POLLY BEMIS

  Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, the State of Idaho has had a long history 
with Chinese immigration to both our cities and the wilderness areas of 
Idaho. Today, I am pleased to honor Polly Bemis, the United States' 
most famous Chinese pioneer woman.
  There have been many articles, books and even a full-length feature 
movie about Polly and her pioneering life in the mountains of Idaho. 
Born in China in 1853, she was sold by her parents and smuggled into 
the United States. In 1872, Polly was brought to recently settled 
Warren, ID, as a slave. There, she met Charlie Bemis, a saloon owner 
and deputy sheriff, whom she wed in 1894 despite a State law 
prohibiting marriage between a White and non-White person.
  Soon after Polly and Charlie wed, they moved to their homestead, the 
Bemis Ranch on the Salmon River, where they resided for many years. 
Polly was famed for her vast knowledge of medical treatments and her 
hospitality to friends and travelers alike venturing down the Salmon 
``River of No Return.'' Charlie died in 1922; however, Polly continued 
to live on her 27-acre ranch until shortly before her death in 1933 at 
the age of 80. Fifty-five years after her passing, Polly's cabin on 
Bemis Ranch was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  As an early settler of the Idaho Territory and an enterprising 
Chinese immigrant, Polly Bemis left an exceptional legacy and an 
indelible mark on Idaho's history. While she did not receive U.S. 
citizenship during her lifetime, we honor her strength, 
industriousness, and pioneering spirit in our Congressional Record.

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