Chinatown in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Chinese Workers' First Challenge
华工的第一场硬仗
| | Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University | |
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 5, 2025
1. The Chinese Workers' First Challenge Marker
After they joined the railroad labor force, one of the first major challenges facing the Chinese workers was making the "Bloomer Cut," a passage that would permit trains to pass through an imposing ridge.
在1864年的铁路建设中,劳工严重短缺,公司要寻找解决办法。因此,从隔年开始,华工成为建设西段铁路的主力军,最高峰时有上万名华工。
[Photo captions:]
Looking east from the top of Bloomer Cut 32 miles from Sacramento. 距离沙加重度32英里。在布条款深楼从西向东看。 Bloomer
this page online
Erected by The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Immigration • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the First Transcontinental Railroad series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1864.
Location. 40° 42.861′ N, 73° 59.853′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in Chinatown. It is on Bowery north of Doyers Street, on the right when traveling south. The marker is in the window of Abacus Federal Savings Bank. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6 Bowery, New York NY 10002, United
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 5, 2025
2. Abacus Federal Savings Bank
Eight markers about Chinese workers on the railways are in the windows of the bank.
Regionally, this marker is in New York City. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Starting Point (here, next to this marker); Chinese Railroad Workers (here, next to this marker); Building the Transcontinental Railroad (here, next to this marker); The Railroad and the Cliff of Cape Horn (here, next to this marker); Bloomer Cut (here, next to this marker); The Railroad Approaching Auburn (here, next to this marker); Abraham Lincoln & the Pacific Railroad (here, next to this marker); Birthplace of Modern Tattooing! (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.
Also see . . . The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project.
Excerpt: "The wealth that enabled Leland Stanford to found Stanford University was, to a large extent, the result of his being an owner of the Central Pacific Railroad, the Western portion of the first Transcontinental Railroad across the United States. Ninety percent of the ten to fifteen thousand workers who built the railroad, completed in 1869, came from China. Their key place in American history and in the history of Stanford University was never fully acknowledged before this Project was undertaken. Indeed, at the 100th anniversary of the completion of the railroad in 1969, the role of the Chinese in its construction was almost completely ignored. The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project was created to ensure that the place of the Chinese in this chapter of the past not be ignored ever again."(Submitted on December 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 54 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
