Dosan Ahn Chang Ho and Riverside’s Korean Community

After immigrating to the United States in 1902, Dosan Ahn Chang Ho worked to strengthen mutual aid and community organization among early Korean immigrants. In Riverside in 1905, he played a central role in establishing the Korean Mutual Assistance Association, an organization that later became part of the Korean National Association.

Pachappa Camp in Riverside was an early Korean settlement shaped by labor in the citrus industry. National Park Service research notes that the community may have reached about 300 people, including families, during the 1907 orange-picking season. Work, daily life, education, and community organizing came together in this place.

The story of Ahn and Riverside’s Korean residents shows that Korean American history was built not only through individual leadership, but also through the shared work of people who cared for one another and created community in a new country.

Reference: National Park Service, Asian Americans in Los Angeles, 1850–1980.