In the 1860s, thousands of Chinese men joined the rush to Clearwater and Salmon River gold mines; some helped establish Lewiston, Idaho, as a mining supply center. When the mining boom ended, most returned to China, but some made Lewiston their home, learned English, started families, and even became citizens. Several of these Chinese poineers managed and owned restaurants, enabling them to sponsor later immigrants. 
 
This is a story of hard work and isolation; but it's also a story of courage and friendship. Ultimately, it is a story of neighbors - neighbors often brought together by food, both Chinese and American food, cooked by Chinese families of this town at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers, and at the confluence of many cultures.