03/11/2024
a living history lesson, linking today’s commuters with the lives of immigrants and migrants who helped shape New York into the city we know today. People who came here to live a better life, built the system to help others like them achieve their own American dreams.
New York’s first subway line opened 120 years ago, on October 27th, 1904. It was constructed by about 7,700 laborers, mostly from Ireland and Italy, along with smaller groups of Germans, Greeks, and African Americans. These workers, often earning just $1.50 a day, performed grueling, dangerous work with little more than shovels and picks.
Much of the subway was built by hand, as few large, steam-powered tools were available. Despite the dangers, these laborers persevered, laying the foundation for a system that has helped millions of New Yorkers thrive.
This photo, taken in 1900 below Pearl Street in Lower Manhattan, shows laborers constructing the first subway line. Although the route was carefully planned, some subterranean infrastructure had to be reconfigured or relocated to clear a path for the tunnels, tracks, and stations. In many cases, the sewers were moved deeper underground. The workers in this photograph are either digging out the old sewage system or rebuilding it in a new location.
As we honor the , we are grateful for the invaluable contribution of the immigrants and migrants who built the system that gets us where we need to go every day. Their extraordinary achievement is a testament to both human endurance and innovation.
