“The archaeology, the stuff, the trash is what is left behind and it is what can really tell us the life stories of these immigrants.” ~ Chris Merritt, Utah SHPO

Chinese immigrants composed over 75 percent of the Transcontinental Railroad workforce between 1865 and 1869, numbering more than 11,000 by its completion. These Chinese laborers, mostly young men ages 15-25, left their families and homes in China to seek new economic opportunities. The contributions of these Chinese railroad workers to Utah and the United States are slowly becoming better known.

During construction of the 1,776-mile railroad, about 500 people lived in Terrace, Utah. Today, a sign marking the spot where the town once stood and scattered bricks and debris are almost all that’s left of it aboveground. The project at Terrace, Utah began in the Fall of 2020 and discovered, according to Merritt, “the first fully excavated Chinese home on the transcontinental railroad regardless of state. A pretty exciting data point. It really helps us understand the technology they were using to build it with, the materials and also the style.”

Green River, Utah, also has a little-known Chinese immigrant presence during the construction of the railroad, in the early 1880s. Stories about the community and places they lived survive among the residents.