May 10, 1869 - May 10, 2019
Central Pacific Railroad and Union Pacific Railroad joined at Promontory Summit, Utah.
Congratulations to our ancestor, Lewis Metzler Clement (the engineer in charge of CPRR construction over the Sierra Nevada mountains of California), and to all the brave pioneers, including the entrepreneurs, engineers, and workers who toiled with him to build the greatest engineering project of the 19th century, entirely with manual labor.
Joining the Rails at Promontory Summit, Utah, May 10, 1869.
Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration.
Also see,
ReplyDeleteThe Transcontinental Railroad at 150: Art Celebrates Industry, Wall Street Journal, June 12, 2019.
Remembering the Chinese railroad workers that built Stanford’s fortune, The Stanford Daily, May 23, 2019.
Smithsonian Display Honors Chinese Immigrant Laborers, May 23, 2019.
Descendants Guarantee rail workers aren’t forgotten, by Wayne Parker, Sundance Herald, May 24, 2019.
Recognised at last. Star Online, May 26, 2019.
Flushing Congresswoman unveils new postage stamps commemorating Transcontinental Railroard milestone
Marriott Library Commemorates the Historic Golden Spike, by Ray Gill, Daily Utah Chronicle, June 2, 2019.
Chinese workers helped build this country, let's make them part of our folklore, by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, Washington Examiner, June 05, 2019.
The stories they told: How the Chinese railroad workers live on, by Sean Lee, The Stanford Daily, June 5, 2019.
Anti-Chinese Sentiment In The Sierra Nevada, by Alicia Barber, KUNR, June 7, 2019.
Nevada: "The roadbed was flat and smooth, and the grading was done by Chinese laborers using wheelbarrows and shovels. The roadbed was built up by taking material from a 'borrow ditch' on either side and throwing soil up onto the roadbed. In a hill or cut section, the material was thrown up over the side and not hauled long distances as it is in modern construction. The route selected for the Central Pacific Railroad through the mountains and deserts of Nevada generally followed the Old California Trail, since this had been proven the easiest route of travel through the Great Basin for many years. Since the railroad need water for the steam engines, the route had to be near access to water at regular intervals. The original roadbed didn’t even have ballast between the ties in many areas. This was added later when the line was completed and ballast material could be brought in on railroad cars." –Dennis Cassinelli, 'Eureka Sentinel'
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