kam wah chung and company museum

Duckydi

This little museum is an inside view of the early life of the Chinese population in John Day. Make sure to take the tour. Everything inside the store/pharmacy is left like it was when in use.

marxina

For anyone interested in the social and cultural history of Oregon, this extraordinary time capsule showing in one home and shop, the story of Chinese immigrant settlement, trading, medicine and adaptability is worth a thorough study. Combine it with a tour of the Fossil Beds and one has a fine day of touring.

mmoly

I was disappointed but when I got to the site in the middle of a Tuesday, the sign said closed.It looks to be an important part of this area's history and I was looking forward to seeing it.

FlowersNQuilts

A coworker and I stopped by after a meeting, and I was surprised by the upgrades in the last decade! There is a regular museum and a Forest Service ranger who admits and guides you through the Kam Wah Chung building. Well worth your time!

kjim2014

This is a very unique museum. Stepping into the old house will make you feel like you have travelled back in time. You can imagine the people who used to live there are still there. The tour guide is also excellent. My kids enjoyed it too.

demenshea

What an awesome museum with a guided tour from very knowledgable docents! I will definitely stop here again on my next visit!

612BarbaraH612

Kam Wah Chung Chinese Heritage Museum is outstanding. They have several good videos to watch and just the right number of exhibits to explain the history and keep your attention. In addition, they offer guided tours of the original store. The Chinese emigrants in the US are seldom presented as part of our history and this museum provides just the right amount of information in a way that keeps your interest. It is worth going out of your way to stop here.

aprilkruegerv

This place is a gem where history has been frozen in time. If you see nothing else in this area DON'T MISS KAM WAH CHUNG MUSEUM! We've visited numerous times and never tire of the history.

Mommajam44

This is a great step back in time to a preserved store/doctor office from the early 20th century. Docents do a fabulous job of explaining the lives of the two men who opened this store and built it up over the years. What a gift the families gave the community and then the state by preserving the store!

523MikeL

I enjoy seeing these sorts of things in that it has a sort of ghost town feel. The store, doctor's office and living quarters are as they were when the two owners walked away decades ago. Shelves crammed with goods, calendars hanging, worn furniture, original lighting, and so on. Reminded me of the Bodie ghost town in California, which is my all-time favorite.

gfindlan

Free State of OR museums, donation appreciated -- very good tour guide. This place is a time capsule -- a window into a time past

elgreco251

Oregon Parks deserves a pat on the back for providing a terrific museum and tour of this most fascinating part of Chinese History in America. The tour guide was informative, friendly and quite clever in the way she guided us through the small remnant building that served as the cultural center of Chinese immigrants to the mining history of Canyon CIty and John Day Oregon. If you find yourself in this part of Oregon, make the effort to find this lovely little museum and definitely take the tour. Doing so will help you appreciate the sacrifices of the Chinese immigrants and hardships endured to find a new life in the Golden Blossom of Opportunity (Kam Wah Chang) that was Oregon.

gritd2014

Just go. This was the centerpiece of an eastern Oregon road trip I had wanted to take for yeatd. Unique smidgen of Chinese immigrant lifestyle that you simply couldn't see elsewhere. Yeah it's a long drive but you'll stop being cranky once you meet the enthusiastic folks that run the place. You can feel the spirits. Contemplate the parallels of these marginalized folks to yoday and we can learn some lessons from this. experience.

RoadtripE

this is worth a visit. It's free, you're given a guided tour, and this place gives you an interesting look into life in earlier times in John Day. There are interesting displays in the interpretive center and the tour itself takes about 1/2 hour. We enjoyed it.

douglasr723

Stopped off here during my latest motorcycle touring trip. I was surprised to see so much attention paid to a past Chinese business. Apparently, Doc Hay made quite an impression on the White settlers during that earlier time healing people when the Western medicine had failed to heal. Doc Hay also didn't cash thousands of dollars of checks he received for his services. He was a very giving person. The only thing I didn't like was the admonition to not take flash photos inside the old building. In general, the museum is very interesting and worth stopping to see. The museum and store are within short walking distance of each other downtown. Just follow the street signs directing you to the museum. .