Beginning in the fall of 2006, Dr. Chris Merritt and Dr. Kelly J. Dixon from the University of Montana's Department of Anthropology began to document and analyze the history and archaeology of the Chinese in Montana. As a first step, the United States Forest Service and the University of Montana created a partnership to investigate a mysterious terraced garden site, that was believed to be constructed by Chinese during the late 1800s. This site's analysis was a small part of Chris Merritt's dissertation efforts to create a statewide database of Chinese archaeological and historical sites in Montana, while building a picture of the Chinese experience through historical documents, oral histories, and other sources.