Crossings East

 

As the Civil War ended, California and the coast-to-coast railroad filled Anglo Americans with hope, dreams of expansion, and world trade.

With government subsidies and private investments, the race was on for east and west tracks to meet. Charles Crocker needed more workers to grade, build, and lay track. He spearheaded Chinese recruitment efforts.

Gee Yang and Lee, two brothers in their early twenties, answered that call.

Leaving young wives with infants and their parents in Guangdong, they sailed across the Pacific Ocean, landed in San Francisco, and made their way to the mountain.

Donner Summit, and tunnel #6, was the most difficult location for the railroad builders. The workers hand-drilled holes for black powder blasting, then later for nitroglycerine, a volatile substance that moved rock better but came with a terrible loss of life.

Not only was the mountain a challenge but the rain and snow caused their own hazards and miserable working conditions.

Crossings is a travel adventure, a story of survival, and a brother’s bond. It’s an extreme mountain experience that changed the course of the Gee family and California History.