In partnership with California State Parks and the Nevada County Library, the monthly Sierra Speaker Series connects folks to the rich cultural and natural history of the area. Join us at Donner Memorial State Park Visitor Center to learn and engage! The presentation is to follow at 4 pm. Admission is a suggested $5 donation. Light refreshments and wines, sponsored by Highway 12 Winery, will be available. No registration required.

Thousands of Chinese Laborers blasted granite, made tunnels, and prepared the railroad roadbed in the mid 1860's during the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad on the route over Donner Pass.

How did they do it? What explosives did they use: black powder or nitroglycerine?

This presentation will discuss the history of both plus how and where they were used.

Paul Helman grew up in the Southern California railroad town of Colton, named for a Southern Pacific official, David Colton. After high school, Paul earned a degree in Chemical Engineering from UC Santa Barbara and had a 32-year career with the Procter & Gamble company, 29 of which were in the manufacturing plant in Sacramento. Upon retirement, Paul began volunteering as a Docent at the California State Railroad Museum and has worked over 17,500 hours in 22 years as a tour guide, railroad brakeman, and signal engineer, and helps coordinate the in-house docent training program.