The population of the San Pedro Valley, once Native American, was flooded with new cultures in the nineteenth century. Immigrants from Europe and Mexico were hired to work the mines and stamp mills. The Montezuma Hotel and saloon was once operated by the Larrieu family, immigrants from France. Chinese people, famous in the Old West as railroad workers, spread their culture throughout the West as railroads crossed the land; settled in towns, they ran restaurants and laundries and grew gardens. Mexican cowboys were known for their horsemanship and roundup techniques. Fort Huachuca was home to various cavalries, including the African American Buffalo Soldiers.