The abandoned railway tunnels above Donner Lake in Truckee, California, are filled with colorful graffiti and offer dramatic views of the lake and the nearby mountains. They also hold a legacy of death and discrimination. Starting in 1863, about 15,000 Chinese laborers came to the US to build the Central Pacific Railroad, to make up for US labor shortages. The tunnels were constructed by hand drilling and explosions, leading to an uncounted number of deaths. The Chinese workers also faced harsh discrimination and low pay, culminating in the passage of the 1882 Exclusion Act, the first law to restrict immigration by race in the US. This image was taken in winter when ice fills the tunnels.

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