After Construction: Railroad Workers Living On The Central Pacific In The 1870s

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Diverse and Enduring: Archaeology from Across the Asian Diaspora" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The nature of living conditions for both Euro-American and Chinese Railroad Workers during the construction of the Central Pacific is generally known. Evidence suggests that worker shelter consisted of a combination of dugouts, ramshackle huts, and railroad cars. After this period, during the 1870s, there is some information regarding conditions for the Euro-American foremen, but virtually none concerning the Chinese labor force. Chinese worker housing changes to standardized bunkhouses in Utah and Nevada by 1880. Exactly when this housing first began is not known. Railroad documents suggest that bunkhouse structures may have appeared on the railroad during the 1870s. The author explores this topic incorporating traveler accounts, photographs, and archaeological data. It is suggested that the change was prompted by both external forces and unrelated internal decisions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Diverse and Enduring: Archaeology from Across the Asian Diaspora   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology