Chin Lin Sou
Born in 1836 in Southern China, Chin Lin Sou traveled by sea and moved to San Francisco in 1855 after becoming inspired by stories of success in the western United States. After mining for gold for several years, Chin worked on the first transcontinental railroad as a foreman of a group of Chinese railroad workers. He played a major role in what is considered the greatest technological event of the 19th century, as the railroad was completed in 1869.
Chin worked various jobs associated with railroad maintenance, including being a foreman for the Denver Pacific Railroad. He then moved to Black Hawk in 1870, where he was amongst the first Chinese pioneers in Colorado. He became a supervisor of hundreds of placer mines, a Chinese specialty that had been previously abandoned by whites. Chin gained wealth through the sale of two of his most profitable mines; his first deposit at the bank in Central City was equivalent to more than $1,600,000 in today’s money. By 1873, he had earned enough money to bring his wife over from China.
Many honors were bestowed upon Chin, including being given the chair of honor at the Central City Opera House. He was also offered the position of Central City marshal, but turned it down due to prejudice against Chinese people. Chin’s success enabled him to act as an informal ambassador for the Chinese community as it confronted discrimination. In 1874, a fire partially destroyed Central City. Local authorities claimed, without evidence, that Chinese miners had started the fire during a religious ceremony. To slow the outrage, Chin defended the miners by claiming a defective flue had instead started the fire. Newspapers reported that people believed Chin’s account.
Along with his “gentlemanly and dignified deportment,” Chin was seen as less foreign than other Chinese immigrants due to his fluent English, western-style wardrobe, and blue eyes, therefore building a good reputation in the community. Chin and his family moved to Denver, where he continued to manage mining operations while owning a business in the city. He sold imported goods from China in Denver’s Chinatown, which was located between 14th and 17th Streets on Wazee. Chin was not immune to racial discrimination and violence. He became a member of the Chee Kong Tongs, a group of Chinese who united to provide support, aid, and loans for one another.
After becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States, Chin passed away in 1894 following a battle with a long-term illness. He is recognized in a stained-glass memorial at the State Capitol dedicated to minority leaders, as well as memorialized on a mosaic tile wall at the Colorado Convention Center. Chin and his wife had six children; five generations of Chin’s descendants have lived in Denver.
Chin worked various jobs associated with railroad maintenance, including being a foreman for the Denver Pacific Railroad. He then moved to Black Hawk in 1870, where he was amongst the first Chinese pioneers in Colorado. He became a supervisor of hundreds of placer mines, a Chinese specialty that had been previously abandoned by whites. Chin gained wealth through the sale of two of his most profitable mines; his first deposit at the bank in Central City was equivalent to more than $1,600,000 in today’s money. By 1873, he had earned enough money to bring his wife over from China.
Many honors were bestowed upon Chin, including being given the chair of honor at the Central City Opera House. He was also offered the position of Central City marshal, but turned it down due to prejudice against Chinese people. Chin’s success enabled him to act as an informal ambassador for the Chinese community as it confronted discrimination. In 1874, a fire partially destroyed Central City. Local authorities claimed, without evidence, that Chinese miners had started the fire during a religious ceremony. To slow the outrage, Chin defended the miners by claiming a defective flue had instead started the fire. Newspapers reported that people believed Chin’s account.
Along with his “gentlemanly and dignified deportment,” Chin was seen as less foreign than other Chinese immigrants due to his fluent English, western-style wardrobe, and blue eyes, therefore building a good reputation in the community. Chin and his family moved to Denver, where he continued to manage mining operations while owning a business in the city. He sold imported goods from China in Denver’s Chinatown, which was located between 14th and 17th Streets on Wazee. Chin was not immune to racial discrimination and violence. He became a member of the Chee Kong Tongs, a group of Chinese who united to provide support, aid, and loans for one another.
After becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States, Chin passed away in 1894 following a battle with a long-term illness. He is recognized in a stained-glass memorial at the State Capitol dedicated to minority leaders, as well as memorialized on a mosaic tile wall at the Colorado Convention Center. Chin and his wife had six children; five generations of Chin’s descendants have lived in Denver.