Red Bluff alleyway named Historic Chinatown District

By GEORGE JOHNSTON | gjohnston@redbluffdailynews.com | Red Bluff Daily News

PUBLISHED: June 22, 2022 at 6:31 p.m.

RED BLUFF — A downtown Red Bluff alleyway has been christened the “Histrionic Chinatown District.”

The district is between Main Street and Rio Street from Hickory Street to the north to Pine Street on the south end. The Helen and Joe Chew Foundation will provide any markers or signs, and the foundation paid the necessary application fees to advance this project.

Last year, Jessica Casas reached out to the city, inquiring how alleys are named. She is descended from one of Red Bluff’s five original Chinese families and wanted to name the alley in honor of them and their history in Red Bluff. The business owners within that stretch of Red Bluff were contacted by Casas about the alley naming, and they were supportive.

Casas said her application is made with love and will add tremendous cultural enrichment to the historic district and complement the neighborhood’s purpose.

Wong Foey was one of the earliest Chinese settlers to Red Bluff in 1862, according to Casas’ research. Foey worked on orchards and then became a judge, labor boss and arbitrator. He was a business owner and used to co-host the Chinese New Year parades on Rio Street every year with Casas’ family, who opened their first restaurant at Walnut and Madison streets.

“In a way, this is so that the alleyway can look down upon the Chinatown that was once so vibrant and is cherished and many hearts of many families across America,” Casas said.

The city’s staff determine the Red Bluff Municipal Code allowed for the placement of monuments but not for the naming of alleys. They began work on an ordinance to create that policy and the council adopted the ordinance that created the framework for renaming streets alleys and other public facilities.

The Helen and Joe Chew Foundation then applied for the naming of the alleyway. In May, the planning commission voted to recommend the council approve the naming request.

The council unanimously approved naming the alley.