.

 Dear Friend of Utah History,

In 2019, Utah Poet Laureate Paisley Rekdal was 

commissioned to write a poem commemorating

 the 150^th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad's completion. 

The result is "West: A Translation,"

 a linked collection of poems that respond to a Chinese elegy 

carved into the walls of the Angel Island Immigration Station 

where Chinese migrants to the United States were detained.

 "West" translates this elegy character by character through 

the lens of Chinese and other transcontinental 

railroad workers' histories

 and through the railroad's cultural impact on America.

Here's a link to the website: https://westtrain.org/

Thank you for your interest in Utah's history.  

Take care,

Kevin Fayles
Acting Director
Utah Division of State History