Examining Segregation between Chinese and Euroamerican Railroad Workers at the Townsite of Terrace Using Spatial Modeling

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

By using spatial and statistical methods, this research aims to analyze patterns of social behavior at the historic townsite of Terrace, located in Box Elder County, Utah along the Central Pacific Railroad. The results of these analyses—a combination of field survey, cluster analyses, suitability modeling, and non-metric multidimensional scaling—are expected to answer several questions about the site. First, how the archaeological material within the site indicate segregation between the Chinese and European American cultural groups and the nature of that segregation. Second, how researchers can document indicators of inequality between the segregated living spaces between the Chinese and European American workers. And lastly, how the spatial patterning of residential segregation at Terrace can inform on 19th century urban planning and ethnic interactions by placing the case study of Terrace within a large context of American West expansionism along the Transcontinental Railroad.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020   •
• 2020 SHA Poster Submissions

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 936