The most significant Chinese American event in the history of the United States happened in and around Truckee. This remark was made by an 1882 Foundation member speaking about the construction of the transcontinental railroad from Sacramento to the Golden Spike ceremony just north of the Great Salt Lake. This Chinese American Foundation worked successfully to get National Historic Landmark status for the Chinese camps at the top of Donner Summit.

But, why were the Chinese given the opportunity to help build the Western Portion of the transcontinental railroad? It was because of a problem the railroad had.

Need for Labor

Charles Crocker, as superintendent of construction for the Central Pacific Railroad, was facing a dire labor shortage. As an experiment, he tried 20 former Chinese gold miners to test their ability to build a railroad. The test was a success, and the Central Pacific Railroad turned to Chinese immigrants to conquer the Sierra Nevada’s treacherous terrain.

By 1865, the company had recruited thousands of workers from both California and China’s Guangdong province, many fleeing poverty and instability. Their hiring marked a pivotal shift: initially dismissed as too frail for grueling labor, Chinese workers soon proved indispensable.

Working with the Chinese

The Chinese workers provided their own tools, tents, and food, often subsisting on dried seafood and rice. No safety measures protected them during blasting, leading to fatal accidents. Also, there was unpredictable terrain, and extreme weather compounding the risks.

They also accepted lower wages than other European American laborers. At one point, Chinese were paid $28/month compared to $30 for others. The Chinese endured perilous conditions without lodging or board provided for the other workers. As Charles Crocker, the project’s contractor, later admitted, “Without the Chinese, it would have been impossible to quickly complete the Western portion of this great national highway”

Taking on Donner Summit

From 1865 to 1869, Chinese laborers tackled Donner Summit – the most dangerous stretch of the Transcontinental Railroad. Here, they drilled 11 tunnels through solid granite, including the 1,659-foot Summit Tunnel, which took 16 months to complete. Workers endured avalanches, blizzards, and explosions, often laboring in 10-foot snowdrifts. They lived in camps like Summit Camp, where they slept in tents and wooden huts.

Winter conditions were lethal: 3,000 workers lived in these camps and tunnels. During 1865–1866 there were 40-foot snowdrifts and avalanches that buried entire camps. An estimated 1,000–1,200 Chinese workers died from accidents or exposure. Imagine the shock for a people who came from the tropics with no experience in snow.

They used nitroglycerin only in the Summit Tunnel because the volatile explosive was much more dangerous than the less efficient black powder. Despite these hardships, Chinese crews laid 660 miles of track and constituted 90% of the Central Pacific workforce.

Post Transcontinental Railroad

After the Golden Spike ceremony in 1869 many laborers dispersed across the West. In Truckee, some found work in lumber mills or service industries, while others established businesses like laundries and restaurants.

Anti-Chinese sentiment was a continuing problem. By the 1870s, Truckee’s white residents organized boycotts and violent expulsions, culminating in the 1886 “Truckee Method,” which economically squeezed out the Chinese residents. California laws barred them from testifying in court or becoming citizens, enabling widespread discrimination.

Many migrated to urban Chinatowns or returned to China, their contributions erased from mainstream narratives for decades. No firsthand accounts from Chinese workers survive, as most were illiterate, or their records lost. Their contributions were excluded from much of the Golden Spike ceremony’s commemoration, and mainstream narratives minimized their role for over a century.

The railroad’s completion transformed Truckee into a bustling hub but left Chinese workers vulnerable to systemic racism. Their legacy, however, endures in the physical and economic infrastructure they built. The Transcontinental Railroad slashed cross-country travel from months to days, spurring westward expansion and industrial growth.

Preserving Chinese Railroad History

As archaeologists continue unearthing fragments of Summit Camp, each artifact serves as a testament to the thousands who risked everything to bridge a nation—and whose stories are finally being heard. Stanford University recently completed a major study of the Chinese Railroad workers. Professor Gordon Chang described some of the study’s results in his book – “Ghosts of Gold Mountain.”

Today, efforts led by groups like the 1882 Foundation were able to secure National Historic Landmark status for Donner Summit’s Chinese camps. These sites, including Summit Camp, housed hundreds of workers and have artifacts like porcelain bowls and coins. Advocates argue that honoring these laborers rectifies a historical injustice: their role in uniting the nation and catalyzing America’s economic rise was long minimized.

To learn more about the Chinese laborers and building of the transcontinental railroad, please join Jerry Blackwill for a historical presentation on this exciting part of history.

About the Author:

Jerry Blackwill is the President of the Museum of Truckee History and an active volunteer with the Truckee-Donner Railroad Society.