Transcontinental Railroad in Sierra Nevada

This piece of art is dedicated to all the Chinese workers who built the Transcontinental Railroad from 1862 to 1869. The Sierra Nevada mountain range, on the eastern edge of California, was one of the most challenging segments to construct. The workers carved 15 tunnels using only gunpowder and pickaxes. The work was extremely hazardous, with brutal winters adding to the dangers. Snow caused landslides that buried some camps, and during the spring thaw, workers were sometimes found frozen alive in the tunnels, tools still in hand.

Tragically, the hard work and sacrifices of these Chinese laborers were not fully appreciated, culminating in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.