Railroads

When the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act ended the immigration of workers from China, railroad companies turned to the Japanese to fill the void. Labor contracting companies such as Furuya and Tobo recruited workers for the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railways. Issei (Japanese immigrant) men were primarily manual laborers, working ten-hour days laying tracks.

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Railroads (95)

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95 items

doc Japs Overrun Tacoma. Going East in Train Loads -- Destination Unknown. (April 21, 1900) (ddr-densho-56-6)

The Seattle Daily Times, April 21, 1900, p. 10

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-56-6/

doc Japs Discharged. (March 1, 1901) (ddr-densho-56-19)

The Seattle Daily Times, March 1, 1901, p. 6

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-56-19/

doc Whites Refuse to Work With Japanese. Strike Occurs in the Freight Yard of the Great Northern at Great Falls, Montana. (May 20, 1906) (ddr-densho-56-62)

The Seattle Daily Times, May 20, 1906, p. 15

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-56-62/

doc Object to the Japs. (July 14, 1900) (ddr-densho-56-16)

The Seattle Daily Times, July 14, 1900, p. 2

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-56-16/

Bring Jap Labor for Railroad. Commissioner of Immigration Says Large Numbers Are Taken to Hawaii, Thence to Northwestern States. Many Devices Employed by Chinese to Evade Exclusion Law -- They Also Aid Importation of Immoral Women. (January 7, 1907) (ddr-densho-56-72)

doc Bring Jap Labor for Railroad. Commissioner of Immigration Says Large Numbers Are Taken to Hawaii, Thence to Northwestern States. Many Devices Employed by Chinese to Evade Exclusion Law -- They Also Aid Importation of Immoral Women. (January 7, 1907) (ddr-densho-56-72)

The Seattle Daily Times, January 1, 1907, p. 3

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-56-72/

doc Strikers Resenting Employment of Japs (October 2, 1911) (ddr-densho-56-208)

The Seattle Daily Times, October 2, 1911, p. 10

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-56-208/

doc King St. Station 'Red Caps' Now Are Filipinos (March 9, 1942) (ddr-densho-56-679)

The Seattle Daily Times, March 9, 1942, p. 21

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-56-679/

doc Japs Run Out. (June 27, 1900) (ddr-densho-56-13)

The Seattle Daily Times, June 27, 1900, p. 4

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-56-13/

doc Threaten Strike Over Japanese (January 28, 1942) (ddr-densho-56-585)

The Seattle Daily Times, January 28, 1942, p. 3

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-56-585/

doc Urge Oriental Labor (August 29, 1919) (ddr-densho-56-333)

The Seattle Daily Times, August 29, 1919, p. 28

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-56-333/

doc Great Northern To Dismiss Japs (March 5, 1942) (ddr-densho-56-666)

The Seattle Daily Times, March 5, 1942, p. 11

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-56-666/

doc An Odd Angle of the Japanese Problem. (May 13, 1914) (ddr-densho-56-249)

The Seattle Daily Times, May 13, 1914, p. 6

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-56-249/

doc Pacific Citizen, Vol. 60, No. 25 (June 18, 1965) (ddr-pc-37-25)

Selected article titles: "History Project: Issei Railroaders in the Rockies" (p.1), "Tanno Laborers May Be Sent Home in Two Weeks: Wirtz" (p.1), "JACL Youth Survey among Chapters On" (p.1), "Supreme Court Decisions" (p.2), "Accent on Youth" (p.2), "Low Voter Registration in Hawaii May Bring in U.S. Registrars" (p.3).

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-pc-37-25/

doc Clipping titled Exposed: America's World War II concentration camps (ddr-csujad-24-124)

An article published in Mount Holyoke Alumnae quarterly, Fall 1997. A profile of Michi Wegyln that details her writing of the book "Years of Infamy" as well as her efforts to try to get redress for Japanese American railroad workers who were fired during World War II. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-24-124/

img Railroad bridges (ddr-csujad-25-12)

A page from an album containing Japanese family photographs. Four photographs are pasted on the page. The photographs appear to be taken in Spokane Washington in the early 1900s. Include photographs of Monrore Street Bridge, Latah Bridge, and Spokane Riverfront Park. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: jia_07_01_012

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-25-12/

doc Letter from Michi Weglyn to Frank Chin, September 5, 1997 (ddr-csujad-24-78)

A letter from Michi Weglyn to Frank Chin in which she writes about doing research for the Yoshida railroad workers case. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: chi_06_004

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-24-78/

doc Letter from Michi Weglyn to Frank Chin, August 27, 1997 (ddr-csujad-24-75)

A letter from Michi Weglyn to Frank Chin in which Weglyn writes about the death of her husband Walter and thanks Chin for his support. Weglyn also writes about her support for railroad and mine workers. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: chi_06_001

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-24-75/

doc Letter from Ida Otani to Michi Weglyn, April 26, 1997 (ddr-csujad-24-135)

A letter from Ida Otani to Michi Weglyn about the firing of Japanese American railroad workers during World War II. Otani describes the hardships her family went through after her father was fired by Western Pacific Railroad and the family was forced to vacate their home because it was on railroad property. See this object in …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-24-135/

img Union Pacific Rail Road Company private road (ddr-csujad-43-248)

Photograph number SP-5205 of a private road. Note on the back side reads: Private Road of the Union Pacific R. R. Co. [Railroad Company], immediately adjacent the southerly side of Cerritos Channel looking westerly. In foreground showing portion of background of photograph SP-5204. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-43-248/

img Union Pacific Rail Road Company private road (ddr-csujad-43-246)

Photograph number SP-5198 of a private road. Note on the back side reads: Private Road of the Union Pacific R.R. Co. [Railroad Company], immediately adjacent the southerly side of Cerritos Channel looking westerly. In foreground showing portion of background of photograph SP-5197. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ter_04_041_001

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-43-246/

img Union Pacific Rail Road Company private road (ddr-csujad-43-252)

Photograph number SP-5210 of a private road. Note on the back side reads: Private Road of the Union Pacific R. R. Co.[Railroad Company], immediately adjacent the southerly side of Cerritos Channel looking westerly. In foreground showing portion of background of photograph SP-5209. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ter_04_053_001

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-43-252/

img Union Pacific Railroad Company private road (ddr-csujad-43-251)

Photograph number SP-5208 of a private road. Note on the back side reads: Private Road of the Union Pacific R. R. Co. [Railroad Company], immediately adjacent the southerly side of Cerritos Channel looking westerly. In foreground showing portion of background of photograph SP-5207. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-43-251/

img Union Pacific Rail Road Company private road (ddr-csujad-43-250)

Photograph number SP-5207 of a private road. Note on the back side reads: Private Road of the Union Pacific R. R. Co. [Railroad Company], immediately adjacent the southerly side of Cerritos Channel looking westerly. In foreground showing portion of background of photograph SP-5206. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-43-250/

img Union Pacific Rail Road Company private road (ddr-csujad-43-247)

Photograph number SP-5199 of private road. Note on the back side reads: Private Road of the Union Pacific R.R. Co. [Railroad Company], immediately adjacent the southerly side of Cerritos Channel looking westerly. In foreground showing portion of background of photograph SP-5198. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ter_04_042_001

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-43-247/

img Union Pacific Rail Road Company private road (ddr-csujad-43-249)

Photograph number SP-5206 of a private road. Note on the back side of photograph reads: Private Road of the Union Pacific R. R. Co. [Railroad Company], immediately adjacent the southerly side of Cerritos Channel looking westerly. In foreground showing portion of background of photograph SP-5205. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-43-249/