Copy of Letter from President Abraham to the Governor of California Body of Letter

In July of 1864, Lincoln appointed three men, including California Governor Frederick Low, as Commissioners to report to the President on the progress of the transcontinental railroad’s construction. The upheaval of the Civil War delayed progress somewhat, but by 1865 the pace of laying track had increased. At this time, the Central Pacific relied in large part on the labor of over five thousand Chinese immigrants. Chinese crews forced the rail lines through the difficult terrain of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and to Promontory Point by 1869. Identification Information: F3617:417, Railroad Commission.