New “Monument to their Memory” Commemorates Chinese Railroad Workers

On June 25, 2022, the Golden Spike Foundation unveiled “Monument to their Memory” at Golden Spike National Historical Park in Promontory, Utah.  “Monument to their Memory” by Ilan Auverbach, a New York-based, Israeli-born artist, commemorates those who toiled to build the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.

 

Artist Statement

Honoring the courage, resilience, determination and sacrifices of the transcontinental workers from 1863 to 1869.  A dedicated, yet unsung, labor force of Chinese immigrants, alongside Irish, African Americans, Native Americans, Civil War veterans, and Mormon Settlers, and other immigrant groups whose backbreaking efforts were critical in the awe-inspiring construction of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.  – Ilan Averbuch

 

The new monument received dedicated  news coverage.

 

“Monument to their Memory” was commissioned by the Golden Spike Foundation (Spike 150) as a legacy piece to honor all of the railroad workers who built the transcontinental railroad. The call for artist proposals attracted over 250 submissions from artists across the country. The committee ultimately selected Ilan Averbuch. Averbuch’s primary inspiration was the Chinese railroad worker. For example the railroad ties are made of granite to represent the tunnels built in the Sierra Nevada.