Ancestors, idols and the Iron Ch**K

Writer Warner Lew reflects on Seattle history and family connections, exploring stories tied to Lake View Cemetery and the salmon canning industry. The piece traces Chinese American experiences from early immigration through the 1960s, including profiles of relatives and historical figures like Goon Dip, a prominent early Seattle Chinese businessman, and Edmund Smith, who invented the salmon-processing machine originally called the Iron Chink—a term the author now calls the Iron Butcher out of respect for the Chinese workers it displaced.