Charles Crocker was born in upstate New York in 1822. When he was fourteen, he moved to a farm in Iowa. During the next 9 years he became independent, he worked on several farms, in a sawmill and an iron forge. Then in 1845 when he was 23, he open a small independent forge of his own.

Five years later, when he heard about the California gold rush, Crocker left for California.
He tried mining for 2 years and then he opened a store in Sacremento in 1852. Only two years later, he was one of the wealthiest men in town.

In 1855, he was elected to city council. Then, five years later, he was elected to the state legislature.

In the early 1860's, Crocker managed the constuction of the Central Pacific Railroad and completed it 7 years before the govornment deadline. When there weren't enough workers he decided to hire Chinese immigrants. He hired more and more and made them work faster and faster so they could lay a lot of track in a little time. On May 10, 1869 the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific lines met in Promontory Summit, Utah.

In the following years he continued to build railroads and other businesses. He became the president of the Southern Pacific Railroad.

In 1886, Crocker was seriously injured in a carraige accident and never fully recovered. He died two years later in 1888.

We got our information from
Ten Mile Day by Mary Ann Fraser
The Transcontinental Railroad by Peter Anderson
and this web site