Brainpower & Brownbags “Steel Gangs: Native American Railroad Workers”

Navajo, Laguna, Acoma, Zuni and other tribal people made an important but little known contribution to building and maintaining rail lines throughout the West.

This presentation traces the origin, development, and present status of the Native American railroad workforce.

Also examined will be the role of skilled Native railroad labor in the context of territorial history, world wars, terrain, weather, and cultural differences upon the continuous effort to keep freight and passenger traffic flowing safely across the continent.