George Shima: The Potato King
Do you know the story of the Japanese man who became the “Potato King” of California? Here’s a short clip about him from a TV Tokyo show about Japanese people who have impacted the world outside Japan:
Ushijima Kinji [George Shima] came to America in 1888. He started out as a house servant and farm laborer, but through hard work and thriftiness, he was able to buy some land to start his own farm. It was cheap swampland that few people considered worth owning, but Ushijima apparently knew some traditional Japanese land reclamation tricks that could turn those swamps into suitable farmland. He used the land to grow potatoes, and by 1913 he had over 28,000 acres in production, earning himself the nickname “Potato King.” His economic achievements are credited with helping the growth of Stockton, California from a small town into a sizable city. The video also mentions how he donated lots of potatoes to earthquake victims.
Read more about him in Wikipedia.
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