The "Shinn Ranch Farmstead" (Shinn Historical Park & Arboretum) in Fremont, California was nominated and approved by the California State Commission of Historic Resources on February 6, 2026, and is on its way to the National Park Service for final approval to be added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Shinn Park holds many stories of the early history of the Washington Township (a former township in Alameda County, California, which includes the present-day cities of Union City, Fremont, and Newark). The park tells the story of the Shinn family who came to the area shortly after the Gold Rush and lived there until the 1960's. The family was important in the growth of the early fruit industry as well as child psychology and forest preservation.

The Chinese Bunkhouse (pictured) is an important part of the nomination because it highlights the people who lived and worked at the Shinn Ranch. The Bunkhouse was once part of the China Camp at Shinn Ranch, a complex of buildings along Alameda Creek, used for sleeping, cooking, and business by the Chinese workers at the Shinn Ranch. Only the Bunkhouse and an outhouse remain now as evidence of the Chinese presence since the 1870's.

The Bunkhouse and other remaining buildings at Shinn Park will allow us to explore shared heritage, including a link to the original transcontinental railroad. Some descendants of these early Chinese pioneer families still live in the area.