Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Canada Ontario Toronto Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial
AO Edited

Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial

A monument to the 17,000 Chinese who worked and died to build Canada's Pacific Railway.

Toronto, Ontario

Added By
dgwhite
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The Monument   dgwhite / Atlas Obscura User
Top of the Monument   dgwhite / Atlas Obscura User
Monument to the Chinese Railway Workers   Wulf
Memorial to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada   Shaun Merritt
Memorial to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada   Shaun Merritt
Reach for the Light   dgwhite / Atlas Obscura User
  45rpm / Atlas Obscura User
Wreaths   dgwhite / Atlas Obscura User
  45rpm / Atlas Obscura User
At night   knoxium / Atlas Obscura User
Plaque   dgwhite / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Canadian Pacific Railway, built between 1880 and 1885, was the country’s first transcontinental railroad. Running from Lake Nipissing in Eastern Ontario westward through the Canadian Rockies to the coast of British Columbia, it helped unite the country and was crucial for the development of Western Canada. This could not have happened without the labor and sacrifice of the thousands of Chinese immigrants that worked on the railroad.

When British Columbia joined the Confederation in 1871 one of the conditions was that a railway be built to connect the new province to the Eastern part of Canada within 10 years. Though Canada had previously discouraged Chinese immigration (charging a $50 and later $500 “head tax” for each immigrant), in order to meet the 10-year railroad commitment Prime Minister John A. MacDonald insisted that using Chinese labor was necessary.

Between 1880 and 1885, 17,000 men emigrated from China, most from the province of Kwangtung (Guangdong). By some estimates, more than 4,000 workers died during the construction. In addition to facing racist discrimination, the immigrants were often given the most dangerous jobs in the already dangerous task of blasting through the Rocky Mountains to lay the Western section of the track. Many were killed by landslides, cave-ins, disease, and explosions. Despite the high risk involved in their work, Chinese were paid half as much as other workers.

The Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial in Toronto was erected to commemorate the contribution and sacrifice of these workers, who remained nameless in the history of Canada. After the railroad was complete, many of the immigrants who survived could not find new jobs. As a plaque on the memorial reads: “With no means of going back to China when their labour was no longer needed, thousands drifted in near destitution along the completed track."

Erected in 1989 and designed by Eldon Garnet and Franicis LeBouthillier, the monument is a sculpture of two railroad workers lifting timber and using pulleys and ropes. The boulders at the base are from the Canadian Rockies, and you can commonly find wreaths at the foot of the memorial. Three pair of rocks from the original transcontinental route are parallel to the pedestrian pathway and contain a small plaque stating "One by One the Walkers Vanish."

Related Tags

Memorials Monuments Statues Sculptures Railroads Trains

Community Contributors

Added By

dgwhite

Edited By

oliviaauriat, Meg, knoxium, jennyquan839...

  • oliviaauriat
  • Meg
  • knoxium
  • jennyquan839
  • 45rpm

Published

August 25, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://spacing.ca/toronto/2009/04/09/memorial-to-commemorate-the-chinese-railroad-workers-in-canada/
  • https://eldongarnet.com/chinese-rail-road-workers-memorial/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chinese_immigration_to_Canada#Immigration_for_the_railway
  • http://www.citynews.ca/2016/05/18/what-is-that-monument-pays-tribute-to-nameless-chinese-railway-workers/
  • http://torontoist.com/2016/04/now-and-then-chinese-railroad-workers/
Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial
4 Blue Jays Way
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
43.641621, -79.391897
Get Directions

Nearby Places

CN Tower Stairs

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Rock of the Matterhorn

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Simcoe Park 'Worker's Monument'

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Toronto

Toronto

Ontario

Places 55
Stories 8

Nearby Places

CN Tower Stairs

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Rock of the Matterhorn

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Simcoe Park 'Worker's Monument'

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Toronto

Toronto

Ontario

Places 55
Stories 8

Related Places

  • Education and Youth

    Plymouth, Massachusetts

    National Monument to the Forefathers

    Plymouth's huge yet little-known memorial to the Pilgrims.

  • The Rakovac memorial from the knees up

    Poreč, Croatia

    Joakim Rakovac Memorial

    A monument to one of Croatia's famous freedom fighters.

  • An eight-foot bronze statue honoring the legacy of John Henry stands at the entrance of the Great Bend Tunnel in Talcott, West Virginia.

    Talcott, West Virginia

    John Henry Monument

    This statue in Talcott, West Virginia, is an enduring symbol of American grit.

  • Parma, Italy

    Enzo Sicuri Statue

    A sculpture in memory of a homeless man much loved by the city of Parma.

  • A bronze fast of a female face atop a pedestal with a lighthouse in the background

    New York, New York

    Girl Puzzle Monument

    An art installation commemorates journalist Nellie Bly's undercover reporting inside a New York asylum.

  • Barandales

    Zamora, Spain

    Barandales Statue

    Maybe the most iconic character in the Easter (Holy Week) processions in Zamora.

  • Brampton, Ontario

    'Ghost Train'

    This metal sculpture is a tribute to the Canadian Pacific Railway, which had a station in the village that has now been converted into a library.

  • Jūroku Rakan Iwa

    Yuza, Japan

    Jūroku Rakan Iwa

    Buddha figures are carved into volcanic rocks on the seashore of Yamagara Prefecture.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.