In 1869, the first permanent Japanese settlement in North America was founded at this site in California. During the Boshin Civil War, a group of 22 people from samurai families left Japan and bought this parcel of land not far from San Francisco, where they established Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm.

They brought mulberry trees, silkworm cocoons, tea plants, and bamboo shoots, among other goods. Sadly, the colony collapsed within two years due to hate from nearby miners and farmers and environmental factors. One of the young women who came to the Wakamatsu colony, Okei Ito, died two years after arriving in the United States. She is believed to be the first Japanese woman buried on American soil, and her grave can be found on a hill near the former farm.

Guided tours and nature walks are available. Any visitor may stop at the corner of the property (park at the nearby Gold Trail School) and see the centennial historic marker placed by the Japanese Citizens League and dedicated by Governor Ronald Reagan in 1969.