|
Proclamation
Commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Golden Spike Ceremony
Marking the
Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
Promontory Summit, Utah
Friday, May 10, 2019
During Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, our country celebrates
the many contributions that Asian Pacific Americans have made to the
United States throughout our history. During the 150th anniversary
of the Golden Spike ceremony, it is especially fitting to honor and
memorialize the tremendous contributions of the approximately 12,000
or more Chinese workers who braved incredible hardships and danger
to help complete one of the most important pieces of infrastructure
ever built — the American Transcontinental Railroad. Linking the
Union Pacific Railroad in the East, with the Central Pacific
Railroad in the West, the transcontinental railroad was a seminal
feat of engineering, innovation and manpower that was key to
unleashing the economic power of the United States.
The Central Pacific Railroad hired 15,000 workers, of which
approximately 12,000 or more were Chinese immigrants, to construct
the western portion of the transcontinental railroad. The intrepid
Chinese workers blasted and chiseled their way through the most
difficult and dangerous terrain — the rugged Sierra Nevada
mountains. Using manual hammer drills, pickaxes and explosives, they
dug 15 tunnels through hard granite. Snow fell so deeply in the
mountains that they had to build roofs over 37 miles of track so
supply trains could make it through. The conditions were merciless,
dangerous and harsh. An estimated 500-1,000 Chinese railroad workers
lost their lives. But the Chinese workers persevered, and played a
key role in building one of the greatest pieces of infrastructure in
the world. In fact, one of the four entrepreneurs from the Central
Pacific Railroad who initiated this project noted that the early
completion of the transcontinental railroad was due in no small part
to the “fidelity and industry” of the workers of Chinese ancestry.
In conquering the Sierra Nevada mountains, they proved that no
construction task was too daunting, too dangerous or too difficult
to master. This was despite the fact that many of the workers of
Chinese ancestry could not bring their families with them and did
not have the opportunity to become American citizens.
So on this day, May 10, 2019, commemorating the sesquicentennial
anniversary of the Golden Spike celebration, it is my honor to pay
tribute on behalf of the United States of America to the Chinese
workers and pioneers of the transcontinental railroad. May their
contribution to America’s transcontinental railroad always be
remembered, cherished and celebrated.
Elaine L. Chao
U.S. Secretary of Transportation
.jpg)
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
