News and Reviews

VIDEO: Jody Seay interviews Greg Nokes, author of "Massacred for Gold, The Chinese in Hells Canyon," the first authoritative account of the long-forgotten 1887 massacre of as many as 34 Chinese gold miners in Oregon's Hells Canyon, the deepest canyon in North America.

The Long Reach of an article in The Oregonian

Moscow-Pullman Daily News says author sees similarities in past treatment of Chinese immigrants, and attitudes toward undocumented Latino workers today

Medford Mail Tribune: Massacre of Chinese Haunts Author

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Bellingham Herald: "Author uncovers whitewash of history"

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In a Medford TV interview, Nokes says a "savage act of racial hatred'' explains the massacre.

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Author lectures on black mark in Oregon history

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William Wong writes in a San Francisco Chronicle review that Nokes' pursuit of the massacre story is "breathtaking."

"A standout feature of "Massacred for Gold" is the author's unrelenting search for documents that had been hidden by Wallowa County officials who didn't want to embarrass descendants of the killers.

"Nokes' journeys from Portland to rugged eastern Oregon, trying to retrace the experience of the 1880s, are breathtaking. They evoke the beauty and desolation of an area where white pioneers and Chinese gold seekers had to brave intimidating elements to try to better their respective lives, only to collide violently.''

Nokes reads at Broadway Books in Portland, posted on You Tube.

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OSU Press book recounts Chinese massacre
Oregonian columnist John Terry writes that Nokes' pursuit of the massacre story "took him to the sweltering depths of Hells Canyon, the vast documents of the State Archives in Salem and the dank recesses of the Enterprise courthouse. In a dark cornerof the basement he found the original trial record.''

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Northwest Asian Weekly of Seattle:
The success of Massacred for Gold "goes to show that books that are thick with facts and information don't have to be left for university students in ethnic studies classes. These books should be part of the mainstream, part of the popular nonfiction novel genre. (It) "is a book of American history and is especially valuable as it details an event that is virtually unknown...."

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Reading Local and Rose City Reader:
"While Massacred for Gold has regional ties, Nokes puts the tragedy in national context. Any reader interested in the experience of 19th Century Chinese immigrants or the development of the American West will find this story fascinating.''

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Massacred for Gold on Oregonian's Top Ten books list

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Rose City Reader likes Nokes' personal touch

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Uncovering a 120-year-old massacre
The Bend Bulletin’s David Jasper talks with R. Gregory Nokes about the process of writing "Massacred for Gold."

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The Asian Reporter's Book Reviews
In 1887, more than 30 Chinese gold miners were murdered on the Oregon side of Hells Canyon in one of the most heinous crimes in state history. Yet for more than a century the massacre was covered up and forgotten — until seasoned reporter and amateur detective R. Gregory Nokes took on the case.

Anatomy of a (120-year-old) mass murder
Willamette Week, Oct. 14, 2009

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"Massacred for Gold" and "Pedaling Revolution" are selling well.
The Oregonian, October 06, 2009

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More than gold seen behind massacre
Author R. Gregory Nokes peels back the veil of time in his historical work on the murders of 34 Chinese gold miners in Wallowa County — Walla Walla Union Bulletin, October 05, 2009.

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The Oregonian reviews Massacred for Gold.
October 02, 2009

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