Colorado State Capitol Virtual Tour

Chin Lin Sou

Also called Willie Chin, Mr. Chin came to Colorado from Canton, China, in 1859 at the age of 22. Chin founded the Six Companies and Chinese Trading and Insurance Companies, which sold supplies to Chinese railroad laborers. He recruited many railroad workers from his native country and helped gain passage for many of them into Colorado. Chin's ability to organize labor was important to the building of the Kansas Pacific and Union Pacific railroads in Colorado as Chinese workers were used to lay the steel rails. Chin Lin Sou was an influential Chinese leader in Colorado and in 1870 was elected mayor of Denver's Chinatown or "Hop Alley", an enclave that was eventually razed in 1950.

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last modified June 20, 2003