In 1865, the Central Pacific Railroad, headed by Leland Stanford, began construction on the First Transcontinental Railroad. Chinese laborers would prove instrumental in its construction. In 1865, the first fifty Chinese workers were experimentally hired to begin work on the western portion. By 1865, as the demand for labor increased and white workers showed resistance to the backbreaking, dangerous work, the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) began hiring more Chinese laborers from California communities. Impressed by the Chinese laborers’ efficiency and dedication, the CPRR began actively recruiting from Guangdong province when local labor resources were exhausted.
Although records of Chinese workers names were not kept by the companies, an estimated 10,000-15,000 Chinese laborers worked on the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. While Chinese were reported as living in the area that would become San Francisco as early as 1838, the earliest Chinese immigrants to the U.S. were mainly well-to-do merchants and traders. This initial pull of common laborers from China would prove to be the first major influx of Chinese immigrants to the United States.
1865年，由利兰·斯坦福领导的中央太平洋铁路公司，开始建造第一条横贯大陆的铁路，中国劳工在其建设中发挥了重要作用。就在1865年当年，最初的50名中国工人被试验性地聘用，负责建设西部的那部分铁路。同年，随着对劳动力需求的增加以及白人工人对这种既辛苦又危险的工作的抵制，中央太平洋铁路公司（CPRR）开始从加利福尼亚州华人社区聘请更多的华人劳工。有感于中国劳工的工作效率和奉献精神，中央太平洋铁路公si司（CPRR）在当地劳动力资源枯竭时，开始从中国广东省积极招聘劳工。
虽然这些公司没有保留中囯工人姓名的记录，但是估计有一万到一万五千中国劳工参加了美国横贯大陆铁路的建设工作。最早的关于华人居住于旧金山地区的报道是1838年，但早期移民美国的华人主要是富有的商人或者做贸易的，而这些成批来自中国的普通劳动者才被认为是第一批来美国的中国移民。
Countdown to the TCS NYC Marathon on November 3, 2019: 216 Days.
2019年是美国第一条横贯大陆铁路建成150周年，为了纪念第一批华人来美建设这条铁路所做出的巨大贡献， MOCA将其2019 TCS NYC Marathon的活动命名为 MOCA Spike 150 – Running Forward With Our Stories！ 鼓励大家通过马拉松公益跑，全国线上接力，以及一天一个故事的方式讲述150个华人的历史故事，敬请大家持续关注， 讲出华人自己的故事，回顾过去，立足现在，展望未来，共同书写美国历史，使之更加充实完整。