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Construction on the Transcontinental Railroad began on January 8, 1863 in Sacramento, when workers for the Central Pacific Railroad first broke ground for the track. Eleven months later,...
Railroad companies were at first reluctant to hire Chinese workers, deeming them too "weak," but the immigrants soon proved to be a vital powerhouse.
The Transcontinental Railroad | Article Charles Crocker. Charles Crocker was the first Central Pacific Associate to ride the completed transcontinental road, tracing his former wagon route...
In 1865, after struggling with retaining workers due to the difficulty of the labor, Charles Crocker (who was in charge of construction for the Central Pacific) began hiring Chinese laborers....
The workers involved in the building operations were mainly army veterans from the Civil War and immigrants from Ireland. Engineers and supervisors were mostly Union Army veterans, experienced in operating and maintaining trains during the Civil War.
A snapshot of workers in late 1865 showed about 3,000 Chinese and 1,700 white workers employed on the railroad. Nearly all of the white workers were in supervisory or skilled craft positions and made more money than the Chinese.
While sectional issues and disagreements were debated in the late 1850s, no decision was forthcoming from Congress on the Pacific railroad question. Theodore D. Judah, the engineer of the Sacramento Valley Railroad, became obsessed with the desire to build a transcontinental railroad.
Beginning May 10, on the transcontinental sesquicentennial, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History honors the grit of those Chinese laborers. The new installation “Hidden Workers...
Charles Crocker of the Central Pacific decided to hire Chinese laborers, approximately 50,000, to work on the Transcontinental Railroad. The Chinese laborers proved to the Central Pacific that they were tireless workers.
Transcontinental Railroad History: Credit Mobilier, Grenville Dodge, Oakes Ames, and 'The Great Barbecue' UP crews built a switchback to reach a tunnel during construction. In many ways, the work done on the transcontinental railroad were feats of ingenuity and engineering.