asian build san francisco railroad story

#Asian build san francisco railroad story series

Most of the time, they worked seven days per week, from dawn to dusk. Once there, they provided their own housing. From Sacramento they were transported by train to the end of the rail line, where they would pick up construction. Newly immigrated Chinese were brought by riverboat to Sacramento from San Francisco, their port of entry into the United States. An estimated 28,000 more Chinese, ninety percent of whom were young men, entered the state over the next five years. Many came over as indentured servants who received $4-8 per month. Most were sons of fishermen, laborers, and small farmers. By the start of the Civil War, 42,000 Chinese were living and working in northern California. Construction of the Central Pacific Railroad was his cross and his crown.” Ĭalifornia outlawed the importation of Chinese people in 1858, but the rarely enforced fine of $400-$600 did little to inhibit ship captains from bringing in the Asian laborers. “The Chinaman, socially ostracized by the nickname of ‘coolie,’ became the Pacific Coast’s substitute for the Indian and Negro slave. At peak employment, as many as 10,000 Chinese worked for the Central Pacific Railway.

As the Chinese proved capable of the same work as white men and even increased productivity, ever increasing numbers of Chinese were hired. This tactic temporarily quieted their grumbling. Whites threatened to strike after learning about the hiring of the Chinese laborers, but Strobridge informed them that he would fire all the white workers and replace them with Chinese. Foremen were not certain that the Chinese, with their small stature, could handle the workload of the white men. Initially, only fifty Chinese were hired and were put to light work, as Strobridge was afraid they were too delicate. However, the idea had merit and proved successful. Many, especially Strobridge who claimed that he would not “boss a Chinaman,” were opposed to the Chinese labor. The Central Pacific found a solution for the railroad’s labor shortage in the hiring of Chinese laborers. In an effort to find a solution to the labor shortage, the Central Pacific considered asking the War Department for 5,000 Confederate prisoners of war, but the Civil War ended before the plan could be enacted. Some would stay until payday, get a little money, get drunk, and get out.” The railroad was able to employ a number of Irish, Germans, and other European immigrants to clear land and lay track in Nevada and Utah. Some of them would stay a few days, and some would not go to work at all. James Strobridge, who was in charge of labor for the Central Pacific, described those men who did sign on as “unsteady men, unreliable. Because most able-bodied men were hoping to strike gold or silver in mines, few were willing to take presumably lower, albeit certain, wages than their aspirations had led them to believe were possible. It posted advertisements for jobs with high wages in post offices throughout California, but only 800 men responded. For the initial work, the railroad needed 5,000 workers. It immediately faced its most imposing and dangerous task, cutting a route through the Sierra Nevada. Chinese Workers Power the Central PacificĪfter receiving its contract in 1862, the Central Pacific was set to begin construction by 1863. Part 5 notes who comprised the work force that built the Central Pacific railroad that began in California and drove eastward. Part 4 looked into the laborers who built the Union Pacific’s section of the Transcontinental Railroad, extending from Omaha, Nebraska to Promontory Point, Utah. Part 3 picked up discussing the laborers who build Russia’s transcontinental railway. Part 2 addressed the forces that gave rise to the need for a Trans-Siberian Railway. Part 1 was an introduction to the immigrant workers who comprised the majority of the labor force.

#Asian build san francisco railroad story series

This series that I have entitled “Who Built the Railroads?” focuses on the laborers who built the transcontinental railroad in the United States and the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia.