SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — A5
BAKER COUNTY HISTORY
Royal Cafe:
50 YEARS ON MAIN STREET PART 3 OF 6
By GARY DIELMAN
For the Baker City Herald
Editor’s Note: This is the
third in a six-part series of
articles written by Gary Diel-
man, a longtime Baker County
historian, that explores the
vital role that Chinese immi-
grants played in the county’s
history. The series, which start-
ed in the Nov. 6 issue, focuses
on the families who owned the
Royal Cafe on Main Street in
Baker City from 1936 to 1990.
The series will continue over
the next three weeks, publish-
ing in Saturday issues.
National Origin of Royal
Café Owners
All five of the original Roy-
al Café owners — Allan, born
in 1900, Harry in 1900, Gan
in 1902, Jack in 1904, and
Jimmy in 1906 — were born
during a seven-year period in
the small village of Tung Sing
Lai, population 200 to 300,
part of the larger village of
Har Peung about three miles
south of today’s Taishan City,
the capital of Taishan County,
Guangdong (formerly Canton)
Province, China.
Har Peung is 45 miles west
of Macao and 60 miles west
of Hong Kong in the area of
the Pearl River Delta. The
1,500-mile-long Pearl River
drains a huge area of south-
eastern China. The river’s
mouth is bracketed by the
cities Macao and Hong Kong,
where the river empties into
the South China Sea.
The California gold rush of
1849 lured a flood of Chinese
laborers from poverty-stricken
southeastern China. They
broke into the U.S. labor mar-
ket by working for less pay
than white laborers. Chinese
working for less pay provoked
a backlash among U.S. miners
and railroad workers, who
complained bitterly that
the practice brought down
wages for all laborers. Eventu-
ally complaints were loud
enough to be heard across
the continent in Washington,
D.C., resulting in the Chinese
Exclusion Act of 1882.
Effects of the Chinese
exclusion acts on the Engs
The Chinese exclusion
acts had consequences for the
Engs long before they came to
Baker City. I’ve chosen Royal
Café co-owner Harry Eng’s
family history to illustrate the
effects on one branch of the
Eng family. The story begins
with Harry’s father, Wah Eng,
who was born in China in
1868, the youngest of five boys
of the Eng family.
The second oldest son of
the family, Ah Kim, came to
the U.S. in the 1860s or 1870s.
In 1878, while working in
gold mining near John Day,
Ah Kim received word that
his father had died. Follow-
and Harry came as students
Paper Names
to join their fathers in Walla
Walla. Allan’s father was
An exception to the 1882
involved there in a restaurant
Chinese Exclusion Act, and
business.
later extensions, allowed
During their teenage years
Chinese businessmen in
Allan and Harry attended
the U.S. to sponsor their
school, but when not in school
sons to join them in the
they worked as laborers in
U.S. But if there was not a
Chinese laundries and restau-
family member business-
man already in the U.S.,
rants, which was not allowed
under the Chinese exclusion
some Chinese parents
rules. Immigration authorities
devised an illegal way to
closely enforced adherence to
send a son to the U.S.
the rules. While visiting Walla
They found a Chinese
Walla, they discovered that
businessman already in
young Harry was working
the U.S. who would spon-
as a laborer in a laundry. His
sor the person as his son,
father, Wah Eng, received a
sometimes after being
warning for allowing Harry to
paid to do so, by filing the
engage in work as a laborer.
proper application with
In 1917 Wah Eng estab-
U.S. immigration authori-
lished a new import-export
ties. If the application was
business in Pendleton and put
accepted, then the person
Harry in charge of manage-
immigrated under the
ment. That was the same year
surname of the sponsor.
Harry registered for the U.S.
Such names were referred
Baker County Library Historic Photo Collection draft and the year the U.S.
to informally as a “paper
Photo in the living room of Henry and Annie Wong’s (left) Baker City home. Jack Eng started sending troops to fight
names,” as opposed to the
in Europe during WWI. Harry
in chair, next to him Ken Eng. Henry and Ken are Jack’s sons.
surname of the birth father.
was not called to serve.
Two more of the co-owners Eng, age 15, to join him and
of the Royal Café, first cousins their father in Walla Walla.
Later Jimmy would become
Gan Ong and Jack Eng, ar-
the youngest of the original
rived in the U.S. a couple of
co-owners of the Royal Café.
years apart. Gan Ong, who
Due to Chinese exclusion
was born in China in 1902
laws, Harry’s wife, Ngoi Toy,
with surname Eng, came to
did not come to the U.S. until
the U.S. in 1920 to join his
father, Gue Ong, in Pendleton. 1967, six years after Harry’s
death in 1961. Although she
Immigration recorded
Gan’s surname as Ong, which was sponsored by her son,
is a common spelling variant Gooey Eng, she never lived
in Baker City. In 1999, at
of Eng. Jack Eng, who was
age 97, Ngoi Toy Eng died
born in 1904 in China, came
to the U.S. in 1922 sponsored in San Francisco, where she
by his uncle Gue Ong. So Jack is buried.
In 1926 Wah Eng retired
immigrated to the U.S. as
Jack Ong. Jack later changed as manager of the Zee Tai
Lung Company in Walla
his surname back to Eng. In
Walla and returned to China,
about 1926 Jack returned to
where he died around 1943.
China and married Sue Oye
Wah Eng was buried in hills
Baker County Library Historic Photo Collection Lim. The first of their two
children, Henry, was born in
Lily Eng tries to interest her son, Michael (born in 1958 in Baker City) in his first
behind his home village. Tung
July 1927. After another trip Sing Lai, Wah Eng’s wife, is
birthday cake, but he’s more interested in the toys. If you look closely, you can see
to China, their son Ken was
also buried there. She was
that the candle is lit. Location is Royal Café.
born in about 1935.
never allowed to join her
In 1891, when Wah was 19 occasionally interviewed
In 1921 Harry Eng went
husband in the U.S. due to the
ing Chinese custom, Ah Kim
years old, the brothers moved local businessmen and bank back to China to marry Ngoi Chinese exclusion laws. They
returned to China sometime
to Walla Walla, Washington,
Toy Lim. When he returned
managers to confirm that
between 1878 to 1881 to pay
lived virtually their whole
to the U.S., he brought his six- married lives separated by
Chinese residents in Walla
respects to his deceased father. where they lived in Walla
Walla’s Chinatown. The Eng
Walla were actually engaged years-younger brother, Jimmy 7,000 miles of Pacific Ocean.
When Ah Kim was planning
in business. Another immi-
his return to the U.S. in 1881, brothers and Ah Kim’s son,
his mother asked him to take Ah Quong, along with several gration regulation affected
other Chinese businessmen,
the family’s youngest son,
Chinese businessmen wish-
formed a partnership in a Chi- ing to visit China and then
13-year-old Wah, with him.
Ah Kim, who was at least 15
return to the U.S. They had to
nese import-export business
years older than Wah, acceded called Zee Tai Lung Company. acquire in advance of leaving
to his mother’s request.
a permit from immigration
By 1913 the number of part-
After arriving in San
authorities that would allow
ners had grown to 10.
Francisco, Ah Kim and Wah
their reentry. Wah Eng’s first
One reason for forming
went north to Washington
return trip to China was in
company partnerships was
state, where they lived for
financial. If Chinese business- 1895 to get married. Wah
seven years in Port Townsend men did not individually
Eng’s second trip resulted in
at the north entrance of Puget have enough money to start
Harry’s birth in 1900. A third
Sound near Seattle, followed
trip resulted in the birth of
a business, they pooled their
by two years in Seattle. At
Jimmy Eng in 1906.
money. Another reason for
the time, Port Townsend was such partnerships was for Chi-
In 1914 Wah Eng spon-
a major port for clipper ships nese to establish themselves
sored his son Harry Eng, age
Baker County Library Historic Photo Collection
traveling between Asia and
as businessmen, as opposed to 14, to come to the U.S. as a
Jimmy Eng, youngest of the owners of the Royal
the Northwest. Later, Seattle laborers, since the latter class student. Harry Eng and Allan Café. His first wife died of starvation during WWII. In
became a major port, when
was not allowed to enter the
Eng, age 14, the oldest of the 1948 he traveled to China and brought to the U.S. his
larger steam ships were the
U.S. after passage of the 1882 original Royal Café own-
surviving three children and new wife, Lily. From left
main form of transportation
Chinese Exclusion Act.
ers, came to the U.S. on the
to right, daughter (name unknown), Lily, Jimmie, Gary,
across the ocean.
Immigration authorities
steamship S.S. Ixion. Allan
daughter (name unknown).
Lockdowns limited visitors, but not joy
meetings she attends almost
every day. “I think it has re-
While she may be sepa-
ally benefited me a lot.”
Dalton regularly partici-
rated physically from others,
Helen Dalton feels closer
pates in Bible study with her
than ever to her friends.
local congregation. She feels
The 79-year-old resident of
a part of their lives and she
Prineville receives long-term makes a special effort to talk
care in a private home set-
with the youths on Zoom.
“I’m so proud of the young
ting where she has lived in
isolation with her caregiver ones,” Dalton said. “They are
wonderful.”
throughout the past year
Across the state, nearly
and a half.
43,000 Oregonians reside
Despite the ongoing
physical seclusion, she finds in long-term care settings,
according to the Oregon
joy in attending virtual
Health Care Association’s
meetings for worship as
one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. 2020 Oregon Long Term
Care State Report. While
Early in the pandemic,
pandemic restrictions con-
Dalton’s congregation in
Prineville shifted their reli- tinue to challenge the perse-
gious services from in-person verance of these older adults,
many like Dalton have found
to virtual.
new ways to thrive.
This change means the
For the past 18 months,
world to her.
75-year-old Paul Berggren
“I’m not depressed, I
don’t feel cooped up,” Dalton has navigated through lock-
said, referring to the Zoom
downs at an assisted living
Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Public
Information
facility in Redmond. Coping
with Parkinson’s disease
adds to his daily challenges.
In spite of his declining
health and the lingering
isolation, he finds joy.
“I realized that I can do
plenty,” Berggren explained,
after facing discouraging
thoughts in the early days of
lockdown. Shortly after the
pandemic began, he was able
to meet regularly with his lo-
cal congregation of Jehovah’s
Witnesses via Zoom on his
computer. “I can worship my
God and nothing can take
that away from me,” he said.
Berggren’s family also
appreciates the new ar-
rangement for worship. “If
he’s having a day where he’s
feeling weak, he doesn’t have
to miss anything,” said his
daughter Rachel Tuller, of
Bend. “He can still see our
faces.”
With the onset of the
pandemic, congregations
like Berggren’s in Central
Oregon not only shifted
their religious services; they
adjusted their ministry
from house-to-house visits
to telephone calls and letter
writing.
It is a change that Berg-
gren appreciates, allowing
him to continue his wor-
ship and share his positive
hope with others. While
Parkinson’s disease makes
it difficult for him to write,
he composes letters and asks
the staff at his assisted-liv-
ing facility to type them. He
adjusts his letters to reflect
the featured topic on jw.org,
and he finds encouragement
knowing that someone is
reading his positive mes-
sage.
Berggren is not alone.
Isabel Oviedo takes the
elevator to the lobby of
her assisted living facility,
clutching her walker with
two envelopes in her hand.
Mail drop-offs have
become a part of her daily
routine, as she dedicates a
few hours each day writing
letters to neighbors with
an encouraging Bible verse.
She’s lost count of how many
letters she’s sent while un-
der pandemic lockdown but
estimates well over 300.
“I have never written so
much in my life, not even
when I was in school,” the
86-year-old widow said with
a laugh. “But I love it. It
gives me joy and peace of
mind.”
Joining with her congre-
gation in Naperville, Illinois,
over Zoom for this ministry
and other Christian meet-
ings has kept Oviedo, and
many like her in long-term
care facilities, busy and con-
nected despite the restric-
tions on outings and visits.
“I love spending time
with my spiritual brothers
and sisters through Zoom,”
she said. “I only wish we
could stay on longer.”
With the change from
in-person to virtual wor-
ship, Oviedo now has more
opportunities to volunteer as
one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Sitting comfortably at her
dining room table, she can
write to her neighbors with-
out having to worry about
her weak knee.
“My goal is to write two
letters or spend three hours
in the ministry each day,”
she said. “I don’t have time
to feel sad.”
With the ability to
continue his worship from
his computer, Berggren has
found renewed purpose in
life. When asked how he
describes his attitude about
the future he said unhesitat-
ingly, “Confidence.”