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Period: to
Building the Transcontinental Railroad
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Central Pacific needs help
Central Pacific sent out an ad asking for help building the railroad. Only 800 white men come for the job. -
Chinese Movement
To please the Racist Sentiments of the state, Leland Stanford called Chinese the "dregs" of Asia and degraded people. His tune quickly changed after he learned of how good of workers they were. -
Legislation Passed for Railroad
Abraham Lincoln and Congress decied to pass the legislation to finance the Transcontinental Railroad. The Central Pacific starts in Sacramento, California and goes east. The Union Pacific started in Omaha, Nebraska and worked west. -
White Workers Upset
White men demanded higher pay and threatened to go on strike so Charles Crocker told Stobridge to recruit Chinese. It was succesful. -
The Chinese Experiment
The Central Pacific hires the first 50 Chinese who excel at their jobs. -
Thirty-two foot drifts
Crews spent weeks shoveling thirty-two foot drifts that prevented any progress. -
Around the Clock
Men start rotating shifts that go around the clock to chip through the layers of solid stone. -
Homeric Winter
The "Homeric Winter" dropped about 40 feet of snow and drifts of 80 feet on the crews and remains one of the most brutal winters to date. -
Dutch Flat Equirer Article
The Dutch Flat Enquirer wrote an article about four or five Chinese that were killed in an avalanche. -
Chinese Strike
The Chinese peacefully went on strike because of the working demands and little pay. It only lasted one week because Charles Crocker cut off all food supplies so they could not survive. They did however receive a pay raise. -
Request for more Chinese
Collis Huntington writes letter to Charlie Crocker asking to have half a million Chinese come to the U.S for labor. -
Completion of the Railroad
The Railroad was finished on this day at Promontory Point in Utah. A golden spike was put in as a celebration
