Free and open to the public
The events surrounding the building and completion of the Transcontinental Railroad are woven in the history and lore of the American West. Over the course of six weeks, the Stanford Historical Society will present a series of films, each introduced by historians, film scholars, and researchers, that will attempt to put these historical events in perspective. A discussion will follow each screening.
About the film:
Iron Road (2009) 90 minutes
Historian Ronald Takaki stated it bluntly: "The construction of the Central Pacific Railroad line was a Chinese achievement." Too often forgotten, overlooked or given just a token nod, the Chinese North American Railroads Workers played a pivotal role in the construction of the railroad lines that crossed the United States and Canada. In a 2009 Canadian television mini-series, Iron Road, the spotlight is finally turned to the Chinese experience and the motivations for thousands of men to come to North America for work, and some hoped, for fortune.