Chin Lin Sou

Chin Lin Sou, ca. 1880s. History Colorado, Stephen H. Hart Library and Research Center

Chin Lin Sou (September 29, 1836 – August 10, 1894, 陳林新) was an influential leader in the Chinese American community and prominent figure in Colorado. He immigrated to the United States from Guangzhou, China, in 1859. Chin stood out amongst other Chinese immigrants at the time as he dressed like a westerner and spoke perfect English. He was a supervisor of hundreds of Chinese workers who built the transcontinental railroad and feeder lines across California, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, and Colorado.

He was among the first Chinese immigrants in Colorado. he traveled by sea to San Francisco, California in 1859. He was inspired by tales of success in the American West. Upon his arrival, he mined for gold for several years in California.

In the United States, he was seen as less foreign than other Chinese people because he wore western clothing,

Mining Amongst the first Chinese pioneers in Colorado, he moved in 1871 to Black Hawk, Colorado, where he was the unofficial leader of a group of Chinese immigrants who settled in a community called Cottonwood. It may have been the first settlement of Chinese in Colorado.

Chin became wealthy by buying and selling abandoned mines. he had earned enough money to bring his wife over from China. Over time, they took on more Americanized names, including having the surname follow their first name. Chin Mong Lung became Jimmy Lin Sou, and then Jimmie Chin. Similarly, Chin Chin Lung became Willie (also William) Lin Sou, followed by Willie Chin. is considered the first Chinese American child born in Colorado. Family members had his body exhumed and transferred to China.

Legacy

Chin, as well as his children and descendants, became important figures in the city. In the portrait he was wearing a red Chinese gown, whereas Chin generally wore business suits. He is also memorialized with other pioneers on a mosaic tile wall at the Colorado Convention Center.