A Full Team on the Sierras - From the Central Pacific Railroad 1867

This stereograph, "A Full Team on the Sierras," was produced by Thomas Houseworth, a prominent photographer in San Francisco, as part of a series documenting the Central Pacific Railroad's construction. This image offers a glimpse into the monumental effort to connect the East and West coasts of the United States. While it presents a seemingly straightforward depiction of progress, we must also consider the less visible aspects of this history. What about the environmental impact on the Sierra Nevada mountains? Or the displacement and violence inflicted upon indigenous populations whose land was being crossed? And the back-breaking labor of Chinese immigrants who made up the majority of the workforce, facing discrimination and dangerous conditions. Houseworth's photograph invites us to reflect on whose stories are told and whose are left out in the grand narratives of American expansion.