Embedded Files
Photo in header: Around 1974, when the Shinn barn was still there... The China Camp was tucked between the Shinn barn and the packing shed.
The map detail below shows two bunkhouses (named "Chinese Camp"), former cook house (chicken coop), and outhouse.
Today's bunkhouse is there with the quince bush in bloom.
These buildings correspond with the photo in the header.
Note the quince bush is included on the map!
The best photo of the bunkhouse (~1974) when it was still part of the Shinn Ranch China Camp. The land had been donated by the Shinn family in 1962. The surrounding neighborhoods were build when?
Note that the bunkhouse was on piers and there was no need to straighten the bottom of the bunkhouse (like it is today on the concrete pad). There is no inside framing. It is single-wall construction, The walls holds up the roof. See the diagrams below for how a building like this could have been built.
Isn't it just a shed?
Isn't it just a shed?
The bunkhouse is an example of a simple historic construction, easy to make with few people and few materials.
The building can tell many stories of the Chinese employees of the Shinn Ranch.
Single Wall Construction references
Single Wall Construction references
We became aware of single-wall construction from the National Register document and also from some movies taken during exploration of the building when Michael mentioned this type of construction. See the document here and scan for bunkhouse.
References on Single-Wall Construction and related
References on Single-Wall Construction and related
"Load-Bearing Single-Wall Constructions from Shanties to SIPS" by Michael Obrien (short version)
"The single-wall is thus an unusual structural system but can be seen in hundreds of structures across the United States, from New York State, through the southern coal and iron mining camps, across the oilfield communities in Texas and Oklahoma to the silver and gold mining camps in the Rockies and California, and even Hawaii." (And here if Fremont!)“Load-Bearing, Single-Wall Constructions from Shanties to Structural Insulated Panels.” Obrien, Michael J. 2013. Construction History 28, no. 1 (2013): 49–63. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43856027. available up on request.
"The 19th century saw many innovations in housing, most notably the balloon and platform framing methods that dominate low-rise housing construction in the U.S. to this day. But there was an alternative; from 1815 through the 1950’s whenever
Americans needed semi-permanent shelter they built structures with simple thin boards acting simultaneously as structure and enclosure. These “shanties,” “box-houses,” “single-walls,” were built in New England canal towns, midwestern railroad camps, and as disaster relief camps following the great 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. Thousands were likely built as housing, utility, and mercantile structures, perhaps hundreds remain in service today. But few design and construction professionals know of this construction method. This paper will present the principles of structure and a case study in construction. This little known mode of constructing shelter has great potential as second stage disaster recovery housing. It is durable, some lasting over 100 years, can be built with unskilled/semi-skilled labor with few tools and fasteners, and is easily flat-packed for shipping to disaster regions."BOXED HOUSES: A SIMPLE METHOD FOR HOUSING; Michael Obrien 2015 "The 19th century saw many innovations in housing, most notably the balloon and platform framing methods that dominate low-rise housing construction in the U.S. tothis day. But there was an alternative; from 1815 through the 1950’s whenever Americans needed semi-permanent shelter they built structures with simple thin boards acting simultaneously as structure and enclosure. These “shanties,” “box-houses,”“single-walls,” were built in New England canal towns, midwestern railroad camps, and as disaster relief camps following the great 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. Thousands were likely built as housing, utility, and mercantile structures, perhaps hundreds remain in service today. But few design and construction professionals know of this construction method. This paper will present the principles of structure and a case study in construction. This little known mode of constructing shelter has great potential as second stage disaster recovery housing. It is durable, some lasting over 100 years, can be built with unskilled/semi-skilled labor with few tools and fasteners, and is easily flat-packed for shipping to disaster regions."
Structural failures of single wall construction in a western mining town : Bodie, California Andrea Sue Morrison 1999. Study of many buildings in Bodie and suggestions of how to support buildings as they degrade.
Shelters, shacks, and shanties Daniel Carter Beard 1914
From Andrea Sue Morrison's Thesis about the buildings in the ghost town Bodie, showing how the roof may be attached.
Finding an expert in Preserving Single Wall Construction Buildings
Finding an expert in Preserving Single Wall Construction Buildings
Suggestion from some experts:
Office of Historic Preservation
National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund Competitive Grant Sample Applications
APIAHiP (Asian & Pacficic Islander American in Historic Preservation) "rustic agricultural buildings are a legitimate gap in the preservation profession." Suggested the California Preservation Foundation, the California Office of Historic Preservation as and the State Historic Preservation Office.
Coincidence?
This late 1860's home for L.H. Strobridge in Alta is the closest building we've seen that looks like the Shinn Ranch bunkhouse. Strobridge's team was one of the three companies who completed the work in Niles Cañon to Alameda/Oakland in 1869. We suspect that many of the workers in the region could have worked for the railroad.
Other examples of rustic buildings that have been preserved, replicated, or documented:
Other examples of rustic buildings that have been preserved, replicated, or documented:
Wo Hing Museum and Cookhouse was burned unfortunately
Locke Boarding House
Brittania Shipyards in Canada
Oroville replica of a Chinese miner's shack and photo and Oroville Chinese temple
Chinatown in Lava Beds, Oregon.
Chinese Workers at Central Pacific Railroad Section Station Camps, 1870−1900
Possible Sources of Funding
Possible Sources of Funding
Office of Historic Preservation
National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund Competitive Grant Sample Applications
Google Sites
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