1
Immigration papers for Charlie Chow (front)20 August 1924
2
The Chow surname is one of the most common surnames amongst Chinese in Saskatchewan and from the 1920s until after World War II, Moose Jaw's Charlie Chow was a landmark of a man.3
Certificate of Canadian Citizenship for Charlie Chow (front)23 September 1955
4
Charles Solomon Chow was only fourteen when he came to Canada in 1895. He already had an older brother, Yucho Chow, living in Vancouver who was one of perhaps three Chinese photographers in British Columbia at the time. Why Charlie decided to leave Vancouver some eight years later is not known. When he arrived in Moose Jaw, his presence was certainly felt. After setting up a small grocery store selling Chinese goods, he became one of the more prominent figures in the Chinese community and in the Chow clan throughout Saskatchewan. Many other business ventures followed, such as the Ohio Hotel, the Grill Café, and Home Restaurant.5
With a strong command of English, he was a principle liaison between the English-speaking and Chinese communities, particularly as court interpreter. Charlie Chow had a strong desire to adapt to Canadian society.6
Wedding picture of Charlie and Mary Chow13 October 1910
7
On October 13, 1910, at a time when intermarriage was frowned upon, he married Mary Feica, a Romanian immigrant who was a waitress in the dining hall of the American Hotel where Charlie was manager. Judging by the front-page coverage in the local newspaper, "Chow to Wed – Court Interpreter to Marry Western Girl," news of the engagement must have made waves. Townsfolk recognized decades of contribution to the city of Moose Jaw when he passed away in 1957; hundreds came to pay their respects, well exceeding the capacity of the church.8
George, Bill, Mary, and Helen Chow with Dr. Sheu1929
9
Charlie Chow's family was one of very few families of Chinese background in Moose Jaw at the time (as the rest of the Chinese population would have been single men), so growing up in the 1930s offered his daughter Helen Paterson a unique perspective on the Chinese community at the time.10
Charlie Chow's family with Dr. Sheu1929
11
Helen Paterson, Charlie Chow's daughter, states that her "dad had a little store that sold Chinese goods. Not like the usual corner store that sold all kinds of things, he strictly catered to the Chinese community." "He was very genial. Not a good businessman but well liked and respected. He spent hours and hours down in his little store and I don't think it was that he was working so hard, but that it was his social life, because all the Chinese men came and they sat around and would visit." |
 |
 |
 |