Bue Kee's Art - Chinese Bunk House (at Crissel's Hop Yard: 1918)

Photo taken June 1918

Colorized 

Small Oil

Additional hop farm photos

Historical Note (or how did Bue find his way to a hop farm)

Bue's father, Don Chung Kee, trained with the Peking Opera and worked for the Sun Ning Railroad Company before leaving for Oregon 

at age 16 . He found work with the Southern Pacific Railroad and, subsequently, established the Kee Kee Hand Laundry in Portland. Bue's mother, Jan Dia Hia, was adopted in China and arrived in Portland at age three.  Bue (and his siblings Hong, May, Ming and Ruth) were born in Portland. Dong was offered an opportunity to run the hop farm at the Muecke Ranch (and, subsequently, at the Crissell's). This was a timely move because of concerns about the saturation of laundries, racial tensions and Tong activities. Three additional siblings (Myrtle, Ted, and Wilson) were born on the farm.