Chan said landowners like Reuben Kercheval, P.J. van Loben Sels and George D. Roberts 

hired Chinese laborers to build up the Delta levee system, work that ultimately brought 

the landowners huge returns on their investment.

Roberts, who was president of the Tide Land Reclamation Co., bought swampland for $1 to $4 per acre and spent $6 to $12 per acre reclaiming it, according to Chan. He sold the partially or wholly reclaimed land for $20 to $100 per acre.

"None of the work would have been done, however, had Chinese laborers not been available," Chan wrote.