By TOM COMBS | Truckee
As I drive by the pathetic roundabout at Highway 89 North and Prosser Dam Road each day, I envision a statue of a Chinese railroad worker swinging an axe, or carrying two large buckets filled with a ridiculously heavy load of granite, sitting atop a colorful mound of flowers and shrubs. Oh, wait, that must be a dream. I have read the amazing stories of the Chinese laborers who were enticed into coming to Truckee to build the Transcontinental Railroad. Once the really dangerous, incredibly difficult work of laying the tracks and carving out the tunnels was completed, they were “encouraged” to go elsewhere. Wouldn’t it be wonderful and fitting to place a large statue somewhere noticeable in town with an explanation of the contribution they made to completing the difficult task of completing the railroad? As for the Prosser Dam Road roundabout — I’d settle for a couple of six packs of plants to at least give it some character.
