History
| Ah Louis Store | |
|---|---|
Ah Louis Store |
|
| Location | 800 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California |
| Coordinates | 35°16′54″N 120°39′51″W / 35.281533°N 120.664167°W / 35.281533; -120.664167Coordinates: 35°16′54″N 120°39′51″W / 35.281533°N 120.664167°W / 35.281533; -120.664167 |
| Built | 1885 |
| Governing body | Private |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Designated | March 26, 2008 |
| Reference No. | 08000203 |
| California Historical Landmark | |
| Designated | 1965 |
| Reference No. | 802 |
| Location of Ah Louis Store in California | |
Ah Louis traveled from his home in Guangzhou (Canton), China, and arrived in California between 1856 and 1861 in order to strike it rich during the California Gold Rush. Unsuccessful at mining, he became a laborer working in Corvallis, Oregon and points further south.
Ah eventually settled in San Luis Obispo, California in 1870, and was working as a cook in a hotel there in 1871. Soon he began to organize work-crews to help construct the Pacific Coast Railroad, delivering 160 Chinese Americans from San Francisco by schooner. In 1877, Ah was awarded two large road construction contracts, including a road from Paso Robles, California to Cambria, California (now the western-most portion of State Route 46) and the first stages of a road connecting San Luis Obispo to Paso Robles, California (now referred to as Cuesta Grade, a portion of which is still drivable and is labeled off the freeway as "Old Stagecoach Road" and a portion of U.S. Route 101). In 1884, Ah received the contract to construct the four Cuesta Grade tunnels for the Southern Pacific Railroad, requiring the provision of 2,000 laborers and taking ten years to complete.
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