Ah Moon, Bio, Granite Co., MT Indexed and contributed for use in USGenWeb Project by: Wendy Garner USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. © 1998 by Wendy Garner. This file may be freely copied for non- profit purposes. All other rights reserved. AH MOON Born: he was born about 1824. Place: probably KwangTung Province, China. Died: March, 1906. Place: Yreka, Missoula County, Montana. Occupation: he was a old time gold placer miner. Married: It is not known if he was married. Children: No children known. Ah Moon (a common chinese name) was one of thousands of chinese emigrants who entered the United States from 1848 to 1900 following unrest in China. Ah Moon probably arrived at Garnet, Montana between 1865 and 1900. He was the last resident miner who lived at Yreka, Montana. Chinese were not well liked in the United States and were never allowed to integrate into American lifestyle. Chinese preferred to live by the religion and culture of their native lands. Jobs were hard to come by following the economic depression of 1873 and chinese were particularly singled out. Chinese generally mined place gold or claims that had already quit producing. The Scott Act of 1888 prohibited Chinese workers from returning to America after a visit to China unless they had relatives in this country, or they owned land worth $1000.00 or more. The Exclusion Act was renewed in 1892 and again in 1902. Then in 1924 the Johnson Reed Act or National Origins Act placed strict limitations on the immigration of certain national groups and totally prohibited the immigration of any persons "ineligible" for citizenship. The Chinese fell within that classification. When the Chinese Community begin to decline Ah Moon was a sojourner who decided to stay behind contributing to Montana's early history and heritage. Al Moon died alone, without citizenship during the winter of 1906. A Powell County Call article reads, "Ah Moon, a chinaman and old timer who worked the old placer diggins at Eureka, was found dead about 20 yards from his cabin. Although he was 82 years old he walked to Garnet weeks ago to get a sack of flour. As usual, he split it into four parts. He evidently had become sick close to home, and froze to death in the deep snow. He had one small sack of flour in his hands, while the three other ones were found hanging in trees, where the old man had placed them according to his customs. Mr. James Boler buried Al Moon the next day". Bibliography: Daley, Dennis and Jim Mohler, 1973. Historical Resources Identified and Location Study, Resources Development Internship Program, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, unpublished, page 45. Perrin, Linda 1980. Coming to America: Immigrants from the Far East. Dell Publishing Company, New York, New York. Powell County Call, The 1906. Article, April 28, page 5.