- Polly Bemis
Polly Bemis was a famous
Chinese American pioneer woman who lived in thePacific Northwest in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth century.Life
Polly Bemis was born Lalu Nathoy in
China in 1853. When she was a child a group of bandits raided her village and she was forcefully sold by her father for two much needed bags of seed. Lalu was later smuggled into the U.S. and sold as a slave inSan Francisco for $2,500 in 1872. [ [http://www.asianreporter.com/reviews/2004/19-04pollybemis.htm The Asian Reporter: Book Review] ] Her buyer, Hong King, ran a saloon in a mining camp in Warrens (nowWarren, Idaho ),Idaho .Polly worked for many years and by the mid 1880s was able to buy her freedom. She later ran a popular
boarding house in Warren. In 1894 she marriedCharlie Bemis , whom she had befriended when she first arrived in Warrens. Together, they were among the first pioneers to help settle theIdaho Territory , especially along theSalmon River "(The River of No Return)".The couple had no children - Polly was 40 when they married - however, they were known to care for a number of animals, including horses and even a
cougar . A fire later gutted their beloved home on the Salmon River in 1922, possibly caused by an untended or overheated woodstove; Charlie died soon aftward. He had been ill in the last several years, reportedly due to a lung ailment (probablytuberculosis ).Death and Legacy
Friends helped Polly to rebuild a new home, and she lived another ten years, dying of a
stroke in 1933 at the age of 80. [ [http://www.nps.gov/history/crdi/publications/CRM_Vol1_01_Reviews.pdf CRM Journal, Fall 2003] ]Her final cabin is now a museum and in the
National Register of Historic Places . At the dedication ceremonies in 1987, IdahoGovernor Cecil Andrus stated, "The history of Polly Bemis is a great part of the legacy of central Idaho. She is the foremost pioneer on the rugged Salmon River." [ [http://www.mccunn.com/PollyBemis.html Polly Bemis on Ruth Lum McCunn's website] ]Current biographers continue to debate the details of Polly Bemis' life. For example, there is little evidence that she was ever actually known as "Lalu" or that "Hong King" was really her owner's name. Also, there is no evidence that Polly was actually a prostitute; from a cultural standpoint, it is more likely that Polly was a
concubine . Finally, close friends reported that as she neared death, Polly denied the long-standing public belief that she was "won in apoker game." [ [http://www.uidaho.edu/LS/AACC/RESEARCH.HTM#Polly Asian American Comparative Collection: Ongoing research, The University of Idaho ] ]Books and Films about her life
*"Thousand Pieces of Gold" is a biographical novel about Lalu Nathoy/Polly Bemis and includes an essay in which the author,
Ruthanne Lum McCunn , documents her research for the book and her discoveries in the years since Polly's death.
*Polly Bemis' life was fictionalized in the 1991 film "A Thousand Pieces of Gold ," starringRosalind Chao (as Polly) and Chris Cooper (as Charlie).
*"Polly Bemis: A Chinese American Pioneer", written byPriscilla Wegars and published in 2003, is a noted elementary classroom history book. [ [http://www.uidaho.edu/LS/AACC/Lessons Polly Bemis Lessons: Introduction ] at www.uidaho.edu]ee also
*River of No Return
*Idaho Territory References
External links
* [http://www.pollybemis.org Polly Bemis: An Chinese American Pioneer]
* [http://www.pollybemis.com Polly Bemis Ranch, a National Historic site]
* [http://www.uidaho.edu/LS/AACC/Lessons Classroom lesson guide from the University of Idaho]
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