The Gold Rush,The Railroad & The Chinese (1 Viewer)

[PolarBear]

Bill Hocker lives in Berkeley, California and his area and the state are an important source for the history of the Chinese in America. Bill's new Types of The American West includes 2 sets that record a part of that history during the 19th C when there was a large wave a Chinese immigration to America.

The first of these is The Gold Rush of the late 1840s and 50s:

Here are sites briefly describing that subject:

http://www.calgoldrush.com/part3/03asians.html

http://www.historichwy49.com/ethnic/chinese.html


Illustrations:

1. Wm. Hocker Set 413 Gold Miners 1850 (photo from Konrad)

2. Chinese & White Miners (photo)

3. Chinese Miners (wood engraving)

4. Chinese Miner (photo)

 

[PolarBear]

The second subject is the Transcontinental Railroad built in the 1860s and connecting the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads at Promontory Point Utah in 1869.

Here is a link to a site describing the contributions of the Chinese laborers to that massive undertaking:

http://cprr.org/Museum/Chinese.html

Illustrations:

1. Wm. Hocker Set 416 Union Pacific Rail Gang (photo from Pat Wade)

2. Chinese Railroad Laborer (photo)

3. Chinese Railroad Laborers (photo)

4. Golden Spike Ceremony at Promontory Point, Utah 1869 connecting the Central & Union Pacific Railroads. Note the Chinese laborers were excluded from this iconic photo.

 

[PolarBear]

The Gold Rush set with Chinese miner, 2nd from right: