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Immigrant Workers Attracted by Steady Work


Greek immigrants George and Anna Chinakos on their wedding day. They were married at the Greek Orthodox Church in Portland. Courtesy of Kathy Sinclair

The paper mill attracted Americans and new immigrants seeking steady work. By the 1940s, the federal census recorded foreign-born Clark County residents from eastern and western Europe, Mexico, the Middle East, and Asia. Most of the immigrants originally came from parts of Europe -- Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and England.

Many Greeks came to Camas in 1917 as strikebreakers during an unsuccessful attempt by mill workers to unionize and obtain higher wages. The strikebreakers were housed on sternwheelers and lived at the mill-owned Camas Inn, which was demolished in 1972. Many of the Greek men eventually brought over wives and families from Greece, and settled in Camas.
The Camas Inn was demolished in 1972. A branch of the Riverview Community Bank now stands on the site. Courtesy of the Camas-Washougal Post Record


Kathy Sinclair

Camas resident Kathy Sinclair's father, George Chinakos, first immigrated from Greece to Spokane, where he laid railroad tracks. He heard news word-of-mouth that the Camas mill was looking for workers during the 1917 strike.Chinakos went to work at the mill, where he was employed for 32 years as a machine oiler.

 


Kathy Sinclair discussing the ethnic mix in her childhood neighborhood

Newspaper article: "Old timers recall early days at Camas Inn"

Company article: "The new Inn at Camas"

Transcript: Interview with Kathy Sinclair

Image: Union dues paid by George Chinakos 1934

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