HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Res 3400 1984-08-27
the central Pacific mainly Chinese tte1llS built 1,800 miles
of railraa~ through the Sierra an~ RlIclty lIIlluntains, ~esert
an~ plain; the union Pacific built 689 miles auer much easier
terrain. 30hn GallQ\\)ay, the note~ transportatian engineer,
~escribe~ the Central Pacific as "~ithaut a Aaubt the greatest
engineering feat of the nineteenth century"; an~
lJ!l llIay 10, 1869, ~hen the tlDlJ lines ~ere officially joined
at Pramantory in Utah an~ 'tanfor~ ~raue a gal~en spike into
the last tie, no chinese appear in that filllll1US picture cele-
brating the jaining of the rails; an~
the thinese railrlla~ builaing pianeers ~orke~ an other trans-
continental lines an~ rail~ags that ~ere being s~iftlU
construtte~ in the mest an~ mid-mest an~ by 1893, this
C1lU1Itt'\\ hall five trans-continental lines; and
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the lines an ~hich these men ~arked "mare than any other
factor helped make the United 'tates a united natian"; and
the thinese-American Historical and CUltural Council of the
1lQ\\)et'$ museum :Founbatian 1I)ill honor the Chinese pianeer
railrllad builders of the mest an ~c\!ober 13, 1984.
N~m, tJlERE1'~RE, BE It Wt)o)ED that the City tauncil of the City of 'eal
Beach does hereby recognile the important contribution and sacrifice of
the
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RE$eCutImt 1W11IIlER 5 #tJ 0
A RE$~CUtImt ~:F tJIE CItll C~IJNCII: fJ1' mE CItll
~:F ,EAC BEAtH, CACI:F~RNIA, llECeGNIUNG AND
<<lI!lIlIEKDING tIlE tHINEJE RAIClWAD BUICDING
PImtEEU
in 1865. the Central Pacific Railroa~. headed by "Big :Four"
(talUs Huntingtan. Ce1l11l~ ,ta1lfard, lllarlt Hopkins a1ld
tharles Crocker) started to hil'2 thinese railraa~ builders
to construct the ~estern portian of the first trans-
continental railroad. Eventually 15,000 ~el'2 hired, nine-
tenths of the total ~ark force; an~
Chinese cre1llS tackle~ the mast formiAable tasks: then drilled
the ten 'ummit tunnels between Cisco and ClIke Ridge during
the 1i)inter of 1865-1866, one of the severest an record.
Hundreds of them perished frlllll accidents ad avalanches; and
many lost their lives blasting granite mountainsides or
braving bitter cold in the rugged ,ierra and scorching sun
across the deserts of Nevada and Utah; and
it is 1tnmm that the remains of 1,200 men ~ere shipped hOl!le
to thina during these railroad buil~ing \lears, but no ane
has recorded the nllllles of the Chinese 1i)ho gave their lives
in the builUng of the railroads; and
1I)0rking ~ith skill, discipline. self-sacrifice and ~evotilJ!l,
the chinese hastened the early completian of the Union
Pacific Inng befol'2 the deaUi1le required by the Act of
tongress; and
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"tHIWE RAICRl!)AD illUDING PIllNEEllJ"
and jain in C1lIIIIIIen~ing them as a graup of pioneers ~ho played a RIlI,jor role
in building the netlDlJrlt of railroads that ~as the transport base of
America's industrial might in the twentieth century.
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ResoluHnn lumber .3~()O
PASSED, APl'RtlQE1l AIIIll AOOPtE1l bu the tity tnlmdl of the titU of Seal Beach,
talifornia, at- a meel'illg thereof helll nn the tlllell~-Se\lenth mru uf August,
lIIineteen Hunarea ana EiBhty-1nur.
~~L-~
mayor tlscar'B nel
C-..L - ~
~'L ~
~
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.
t~~~~
(Absent)
tnuncilmember Oictor Grgas
AUESt:
Q<<,~.~ (the ~
J~e m. yen, t1ty tlerli
StAtE tl1 tllCI1tlRN1A )
~lINty tl1 tlRllNGE ) SS
CItY tl1 SEAC BEACH )
1, Joanne a. yea, tity tlerk of the titu of Seal Beach, talifarnia,
aa herebu certify that the foregoing resolution is the original
CllJl1l of ResaluHnn lumber ~4()o an file in the office of the
tity tlerk, passea, appnJ\le ana aWlpha by the tity tauncil of the
tity of ~ Beach p a regular meetdng thereof heta nn the 0l?f5
mry of . z:;nd , 1984. "
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