Ghosts of Gold Mountain [J0151]

2019 - HCDJ Excellent condition. A history of the Chinese workers who built the Transcontinental Railroad, helping to forge modern America only to disappear into the shadows of history until now. From across the sea, they came by the thousands, escaping war and poverty in southern China to seek their fortunes in America. Converging on the enormous western worksite of the Transcontinental Railroad, the migrants spent years dynamiting tunnels through the snow-packed cliffs of the Sierra Nevada and laying tracks across the burning Utah desert. Their sweat and blood fueled the ascent of an interlinked, industrial United States. But those of them who survived this perilous effort would suffer a different kind of death-a historical one, as they were pushed first to the margins of American life and then to the fringes of public memory. In this account, Gordon H. Chang draws on unprecedented research to recover the Chinese railroad workers' stories and celebrate their role in remaking America.

From recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "This was a good read. Brutal in spots but human history is so often like that.", "The research that was put into this, the understanding, and the depth of the information was absolutely incredible. Read over several segments as it was so dense. Well, written, truly, a scholarly effort.", "Loved learning more about the history of the railroad, how it was built, and the actual people behind it. Fascinating how the author got all this history from mostly archeological finds and other records."