The 155th Anniversary Celebration of the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad was held on May 10 and 11 in Utah. CHCP Director Brenda Hee Wong, CHCP members Willy Wong and George Chin, and CHCP Advisory Board member Lee Liu Chin were in attendance to celebrate the anniversary with Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association (CRWDA) Chairwoman Margaret Yee.

Visitors came from across the nation to attend the Golden Spike Reenactment at the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Promontory, Utah. A memorial ceremony at one of the actual camps used by the Chinese railroad workers was also held at the Chinese Arch. The Chinese Arch was named to honor the thousands of Chinese workers brought in to accomplish Central Pacific’s portion of the railroad. Originally named Chinaman's Arch, the CRWDA plus other Asian-Americans successfully lobbied the U.S. Board of Geographic Names to re-title this Utah natural wonder.

Also to commemorate the Chinese railroad workers who helped build the Transcontinental Railroad, a monument was unveiled at the Utah State Capitol grounds in Salt Lake City on May 11. CHCP has proudly donated to the CRWDA in support of the monument and is named on the Donor Plaque which is located on the back of the monument.

The following is an excerpt from the CRWDA website describing the design of the monument:

The design and concept of the monument focus on symbolism by utilizing building materials that are indicative of the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. The number six has been selected for its significance to the duration and completion of the railroad as well as an important good luck number for the Chinese people. Hence, the total amount of the building materials is derived from the number six with six layers of material compressed together.

Read more about the monument: https://crwda.org/monument-at-utah-state-capitol