Of Wood and Trains

This chapter examines the employment of Chinese laborers in the construction of railroads, primarily to cut trees in order to clear the roads, make ties, and provide fuel for the trains. The intensification of western railroad construction that began in California around 1854 stimulated the rapid growth of logging. The passage of the Timber and Stone Act of 1878 gave both mining and railroad companies a great incentive to be involved in logging, paving the way for more frenzied cutting and for larger, better-capitalized companies. This chapter discusses the role of Chinese workers recruited from the lumber industry in helping to build standard- and narrow-gauge railway lines that connected the forests, rural areas, and transportation centers in the American West. It also considers how railroad construction created another boom in the lumber trade and the establishment of new towns.