Former Secretary of State March Fong Eu poses with a gold-plated replica
spike in front of the plaques that were placed in 1976 to commemorate the
Chinese contribution (left) and the completion of Southern Pacific's San
Joaquin Line (right). The replica spikes were fabricated for the 1976 centennial
celebration.
The plaque at left reads:
On this centennial we honor over three thousand Chinese who helped build the Southern Pacific Railroad
and the San Fernando Tunnel. Thier labor gave California the first north-south railway, changing the state's
history.
Chinese Historical Society of Southern California
September 5, 1976
Organized by Metrolink at the site of the former Lang Station, the quasquicentennial (125th anniversary) celebration of the
"joining of the rails" with a golden spike on Sept. 5, 2001, included representatives of the Chinese Historical
Society of Southern California, the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society and the State Rail
Museum, among others.
Former California Secretary of State March Fong Eu, who was the ranking official at the centennial
celebration in 1976, gave the keynote address, extolling the labors and sacrifices of 3,000 Chinese
immigrants who united California and connected Los Angeles with the world.
Lang Station itself, located 1/4 mile east of today's state Route 14 at Shadow Pines, was dedicated
as California Historic Landmark No. 590 in 1957 and was torn down in 1971 after the Southern
Pacific Railroad eliminated passenger service.
Photo by Reneh Agha-The Signal.
