After four straight days of rain (snow in the higher elevations), we were suffering from a severe case of cabin fever. We needed to get out and about, but didn't want to drive anywhere, since we had a big move on Tuesday. On the fifth day, the weather gods granted us a sunny day in Oroville. We decided to ride our bikes into Historic Oroville and visit the Chinese Temple and Museum Complex.
Our route took us from the casino campground complex, through rural farm lands, past small neighborhoods and into the downtown historic river front district. Folks in this area are very security conscious. We passed large fences topped with razor wire, automatic gates, bars on the windows and large barking dogs. There seems to be a large gap between the haves and the have-nots. When we arrived at the Chinese Temple, we did lock our bikes. But hey, we're from Philadelphia. We always lock our bikes!
Built in 1863 to serve the largest community of Chinese in California, this temple of treasures is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was first opened to visitors during California's 1949 Centennial. The main temple, shown in the photo below, is unique in that it serves several eastern religions as “The Temple of Many Deities" - Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.
In the latter half of the 19th century, there were as many as 10,000 Chinese in the Oroville. Just as with many of those that arrived in the area, they came primarily in search of gold. Starting with the California Gold Rush in 1849, the Chinese arrivals in Oroville for the first 20 years were only men, since they were not allowed to bring their families. Most of these were from the Canton and Shanghai provinces. They brought little with them except their rich heritage, the will to succeed and the desire to return home wealthy. So having many gods on your side was a good thing.
Built in 1864, the Chan Room is filled with many artifacts but one that is most noteworthy is a large, teak bridal sedan chair of Chinese Imperial Palace quality. Equipped with red curtains, the chair was used in parades and wedding ceremonies.
Built in 1868, the Council Room houses a beautiful hanging screen of carved wood with gold leaf overlay. Also in the room are two procession shrines which were carried in parades during Chinese festivals. The room was used primarily for business transactions. Since there were few literate Chinese in Oroville in the latter 19th century, It is surmised that the few learned Chinese men in Oroville at the time assisted others in recording their transactions.
Built in 1868 on the floor above the Council Room is the Moon Room. The Moon Room gets its name from the unique circular door. This room is devoted to Buddha and houses three statues, one of which is reaching out his hand to display the "sign of wisdom". The main color motif is red, symbolic color of good look in the Buddhist tradition.
After visiting the temple rooms, we crossed the courtyard past the garden. Many of the plants within the garden are of Chinese origin including a tissue-bark pine tree and bamboo which can be traced back to the 1860's. There is a fish pond with lily pads. The Chinese pummelo grapefruit tree also adds to the colorful scene.
On the other side of the courtyard are the tapestry and display halls. Artifacts housed here include Chinese costumes, furniture, and other items depicting the daily life of the Chinese at the turn of the century. This room also has a collection of large paper-mache puppets which were used by the Chinese in their theater. These puppets were originally brought to the Oroville by puppeteers who emigrated from China but were left behind when many returned to their home country.
Over the years the structure withstood many fires and floods. However, in 1907 a massive flood caused damage impacting not only the temple but the entire Oroville area. This disaster combined with a concurrent economic depression in the United States resulted in a large exodus of Chinese from the area to other larger U.S. cities and back to China. The remaining Chinese continued to maintain the Chinese Temple complex until the 1930s. During the 1930's, a decision was made among these families to deed the complex to the city of Oroville and in 1937 the city officially took ownership of the complex. The City of Oroville has done a great job in preserving this unique piece of California History.
After a great pad thai for lunch, it was time to work our way back to the campground. We decided to take the long way back and ride a portion of the Feather River Bike Trail. After four days of rain, the river was running high, but the paved path was high and dry.
We saw this mama bear and her two cubs in Riverbend Park and had to stop and say hello!
This 210 acre park hosts a rock structure play area, a splash water feature, paved trails, sandy beach, boat dock, fishing ponds, and a Disc Golf Course! The bike path winds it way past the disc golf course, so you need to keep your head up and watch out for flying frisbees!
We made a quick stop at Walmart to pick up an air compression hose. We retraced our route back to the campground. Because of all the rain, there were a number of places we didn't get to visit like Table Mountain, Feather Falls and Lake Oroville Dam. We are adding these things to our list in case we come back this way again.
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