Chin Lin Sou (September 29, 1836 – August 10, 1894, 陳林新) was an influential leader in the Chinese American community and prominent figure in Colorado. He immigrated to the United States from Guangzhou, China, in 1859. Chin stood out amongst other Chinese immigrants at the time as he dressed like a westerner and spoke perfect English. He was a supervisor of hundreds of Chinese workers who built the transcontinental railroad and feeder lines across California, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, and Colorado.
He was among the first Chinese immigrants in Colorado. He became wealthy by buying abandoned mines and selling them or operating placer mines. He was a merchant in Gilpin County and Denver, Colorado. Known as a leader, he founded and was a member in organizations that supported Chinese business people and communities. In 1977, a stained glass portrait of Chin was installed at the Old Supreme Court in the Colorado State Capitol building in Denver for his role in Colorado's history.
Early life
Chin Lin Sou was born in Canton (now called Guangzhou) in southern China on September 29, 1836. To escape the civil war in China (Taiping Rebellion), he traveled by sea to San Francisco, California in 1859. He was inspired by tales of success in the American West. Upon his arrival, he mined for gold for several years in California.
In the United States, he was seen as less foreign than other Chinese people because he wore western clothing, was over six feet tall, had blue eyes, and spoke English fluently. Based upon the color of his eyes and his height, his family may have been from northern China. He was recognized as an intelligent man and a quick learner, who had great executive ability.
Career
Railroad
He worked on the first transcontinental railroad as the foreman of a group of Chinese railroad workers, many of whom Chin, himself, recruited and helped to gain passage into the United States. He first worked for Charles Crocker of the Central Pacific Railroad at Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California and in then the Great Basin of Utah. He worked among hundreds of Chinese who also fled China's civil war. The transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869, at Promontory, Utah, becoming what is considered the greatest technological event of the 19th century.
He worked in Nevada for the Central Pacific Railroad. Then, he worked for Gen. Grenville Dodge of the Union Pacific Railroad, which had merged with Central Pacific. Working to bring the railroad tracks to government standards, he worked in Utah, Wyoming, and Nebraska from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Plains. In Colorado, he worked for the Denver Pacific Railroad, which built a feeder line from Denver to the Union Pacific line at Cheyenne, Wyoming. With Denver connected to the transcontinental railroad, it had access to national markets and became the "Queen City of the West."
His leadership was important to the construction of the railroad. Railroad company owners hired Chinese workers because they were able to pay them less than white workers, who worked shorter days and received food rations. Hundreds of Chinese workers died from disease or injuries on the job, due to the use of explosives and as the result of mudslides and avalanches. Their work included blasting mountain sides, after which they cleared the rubble and built retention walls. At the time, there were no laws to protect railroad workers from occupational hazards.
Mining
Amongst the first Chinese pioneers in Colorado, he moved in 1871 to Black Hawk, Colorado, where he was the unofficial leader of a group of Chinese immigrants who settled in a community called Cottonwood. It may have been the first settlement of Chinese in Colorado.
He was well-paid as a mine supervisor. He managed more than 300 Chinese workers by 1874 and the crew expanded into North Clear Creek and Lower Russell Gulch. He managed the Chinese workers, including hiring them, negotiating their wages, and drafting employment contracts with mine owners. Also a merchant, he sold them the supplies that they needed. The Chinese workers generally worked 10 hours a day, except Sundays when they worked 6 to 8 hours.