National Museum of American History
Forgotten Workers: Chinese Migrants and the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad
May 10, 2019 – March 13, 2020
Marking the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, a critical episode in the development of the American West, Hidden Workers focuses on the forgotten Chinese workers who built the western leg of the railroad across the Sierra Nevada Mountains. A large floor graphic maps the United States so that visitors can walk the Transcontinental Railroad route. A display describes how the railroad was a catalyst for positive change but displaced Native Americans and caused the near extinction of the American buffalo.
