Charles Crocker
Background
Charles Crocker originally made his money by selling items to miners during the Gold Rush.
Involvement in the Transcontinental Railroad
- Crocker invested in the CP and joined the board of Directors.
- In 1862, Crocker became the Chief Contractor of the CP and created Charles Crocker and Company. He learned about constructing the railroad quickly and was successful at his job.
- Crocker came up with the idea to hire Chinese workers during the labor shortage of 1865 which benefited the CP immensely.
"They built the Great Wall of China, didn't they?" -Charles Crocker's reasoning behind bringing Chinese laborers to the Transcontinental Railroad.