Wing Lee Laundry Site
Piecing Together the Puzzle, Page 2

Ceramic Tableware The site was covered with masses of broken pieces of glass and ceramic, mixed with food remains and a variety of personal items such as toys, scissors, brushes, toothbrushes, buttons, coins, gaming pieces and buckles, as well as coins that were typically used in gambling, a large number of opium pipe bowls, and numerous traditional containers for Chinese wine or liquor.

The locations of various types of artifacts found within the collapsed structure allow us to make an educated assessment about what kinds of activities occurred in various parts of the building.

Stacks of Leather It would appear that the hearth was used not only for heating water and irons for laundering, but also served as a place to cook food for a large number of people. A large mass of stacked leather that had been worked, but not finished, was also found. Pants forms, shoe parts and belts were recovered from this jumbled pile. Apparently the people of this settlement not only laundered clothing, but also made it for sale. In fact, there is some historic documentation that Chinese craftsmen were known for making high quality leather pants used by the miners during the earliest years of the Gold Rush. Next ->