With bo barker, kailey johnson, brandon miller, nathan miller. Between 1854 and 1929, nearly a quarter of a million children were taken by train from the east coast. To raise awareness about the orphan train movement and to preserve stories we discover on the road. From 1854 to the early 1930s, the american orphan trains transported 250,000 children from the streets and orphanages of the east coast into homes in the emerging west. These trains carried children to adoptive families for 75 years, from the midnineteenth century to the start of the great. A history of the orphan trains timeline of the orphan train movement. One of the books protagonists, an irish orphan, is packed onto. After tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train christina baker klines new novel incorporates a true piece of american history. Orphan trains continue to make news, in light of todays current debatesregarding illegal immigration and amnesty. A last survivor of the orphan trains, a memoir rakuten kobo. Thousands of children were transfered from the overcrowded orphanages and homes in the large cities in the northeastern united states, to live with new families on farms throughout the middle west. The four books were republished in 2000 as laurel orphan train west, book 1, ivy and allison orphan train west, book 2, kit orphan train west, book 3, and toddy orphan train west, book 4. Fremont county, iowa orphan train riders this page is dedicated to the children who arrived in fremont county, aboard the orphan trains. The orphan train movement was the largest mass migration of children in united states history.
The orphan trains operated between 1854 and 1929, relocating about 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, abused, or homeless children. Children placed out during the orphan train era 18531929 and their descendants have particular research problems. Ken allen between 1854 and 1929, thousands of orphaned or abandoned children in the crowded cities of the east coast were often placed on orphan trains and shipped out west. It seems incomprehensible that there was a time in americas notsodistant past when nearly a quarter of a million children from east coast orphanages were loaded on trains and sent west, where they were presented for the picking. Orphan trains, social experiment, placing out, child welfare. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Orphan train rider stories i rode the train to missouri and lived a happily ever after life. Hopefully the information found here, will help those researching their ancestors, that came to iowa, on one of the infamous orphan trains. Star tribune july 31, 1994 variety fixit desperate families put kids on orphan trains q i understand that for several years trains from new york carrying orphans would stop at various minnesota towns where couples would pick out children to take home and raise. West by orphan train, awarded a regional emmy in 2015, will tell the story of these children, who were taken from a sometimesrough existence to an unfamiliar rural setting during an era that lasted from 1854 to 1929. What she finds at first is mistreatment, suspicion and abuse. Orphan train is a gripping story of friendship and second chances from christina baker kline.
Click and drag the map to pan, doubleclick on the map or use the map controls to zoom. Memorial for the orphan trains at for over 75 years, these orphan trains rolled along, delivering their precious young riders to new homes. Each book is about a girl who came west on the orphan train in the 1800s to find a new family. Take us in, we have rode the orphan train take us in, we need a home, we need a name take us in, oh wont you be our kin we are looking for. The orphan train movement was a supervised welfare program that transported orphaned and homeless children from crowded eastern cities of the united states to foster homes located largely in rural areas of the midwest. As some of the last of the stillliving orphan train riders like to remind us, it was a different era one that cant be judged without understanding what. Christina baker klines new novel incorporates a true piece of american history. I was told that the term up for adoption came from the practice of putting the children up on the station platform for the. Theyre the ones who haunt us, the ones who have left us behind. Orphan train west series in order jane peart fictiondb. Set on presentday mount desert island, maine and in depressionera minnesota, klines fifth novel, orphan train, highlights the reallife story of the orphan trains that between 1854 and 1929 carried thousands of orphaned, abandoned, and destitute children from the east coast to the midwest. Jan 24, 2015 a few days ago i posted my thoughts on orphan train by christina baker kline. Christina baker klines orphan train is an unforgettable story of friendship and second chances that highlights a littleknown but historically significant movement in americas pastand it includes a special ps section for book clubs featuring insights, interviews, and more penobscot indian molly ayer is close to aging out out of the foster care.
Today, we welcome christina to the blog to discuss her experience with book clubs and the three most common questions that clubs have asked her about the novel. Chorpenning playwright award rights and availability this title can be licensed and sold throughout the world. The orphan train movement was a supervised welfare program that transported orphaned and. We hope to educate you a bit on this subject and help you further your research on any ancestors you may have that came to iowa on one of the infamous orphan trains. There are no studies to show what happened to them.
If you would like to learn more about the orphan trains, you may visit the national orphan train museum website here. West by orphan train will tell the story of these children, who were. Orphan train utah phillips once i had a darling mother, though i cant recall her name i had a baby brother who ill never see again for the childrens home is sending us out on the orphan train to try to find someone to take us in cho. By jean sexton in brooklyn, new york in 1912, an irish carpenter, who was the father of five children, died as the result of an industrial accident.
Check out this trailer for west by orphan train, an upcoming public television documentary. Six months later, a sixth child was born to the thirtyfive year old widow who was working hard to keep. Memorable quotes and exchanges from movies, tv series and more. Orphan train by christina baker kline in chm, doc, epub download ebook. The plot of this book is not quite what i expected when i hear orphan train i picture the children from the city getting placed in families out west. Historians have determined that the large majority of orphan train children were shared or temporarily transferred and not given up. Next on the north central kansas weekend road trip.
A quarter million children rode the orphan trains from 1854 to 1929. West by orphan train will tell the story of these children, who were taken from a sometimesrough existence to an unfamiliar rural setting during an era that. And over the 75 year span of the orphan train movement, it is estimated that between 150,000 and 200,000 orphan children were relocated to new homes via the orphan trains. More than 200,000 homeless children were sent west on the trains. She is taken in by childrens aid and sent west on an orphan train to hopefully find a new home. Click on a map marker to view information about that location, as well as the riders placed there. Between 1854 and 1929, an estimated 150,000250,000 children were relocated from the overcrowded streets of eastern cities like new york and boston to smaller cities, towns and rural communities throughout the midwest and southern united states.
When vivian was a girl, she was taken to a new life on an orphan train. Between 1854 and 1929, as many as 250,000 children from new york and other eastern cities were sent by train to towns in midwestern and western states, as well as canada and mexico. A partial representation of cities and towns that had orphan train riders placed in them. The three different stories in the trilogy are about three friends, so their lives intertwine throughout each book, but you get a more detailed account of each girls life in her own book in the trilogy. Orphan train riders, from the riders on the orphan train multimedia performance at union depot in st. Each time an orphan train was sent out, adoption ads were placed in local papers before the arrival of the children.
It seems incomprehensible that there was a time in americas notsodistant past when nearly a quarter of a million. I believe that all four have also been published together in an omnibus edition, or at least in a set. Read online orphan train by christina baker kline for. Christina baker klines novel orphan train has ridden the new york times bestseller list for the past 15 weeks, becoming a favorite of book clubs across the country. Many times in my life i have felt them around me, observing, witnessing, when no one in the living world knew or cared what happened. Orphan trains almost became lost to history just a few decades ago, but their legacy lives on, thanks to books, historians and the national orphan train complex in kansas. West by orphan train will tell the story of these children, who were taken from a sometimesrough existence to an unfamiliar rural setting during an era that lasted from 1854 to 1929. Kansas state historical society in the beginning of the orphan train movement, the trains that took children across country were little better than cattle cars and only had makeshift bathroom facilities. After tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train.
Also, the same child might be placed one time in the west and the next time if the first. Orphan train by christina baker kline i remember at the age of 10 or so reading a novel about the late19th and early 20thcentury orphan trains, which took children and babies from east coast slums and brought them to the midwest, where they were given an opportunity for a potentially prosperous new life in the fresh rural air. The complete series list for orphan train west jane peart. Orphan train by christina baker kline pdf free download. When the orphan train movement began, in the mid19th century, it was estimated that approximately 30,000 abandoned children were living on the streets of new york. It is thought today that 1 in 25 americans has a family member who stepped off an orphan train into a new life. Unfortunately, families waiting for the trains werent always dreams come truemany times they were nightmares. This is an alternate cover edition of isbn 9780061950728, found he. The character in orphan train is able to find family, trace back her roots, with the help of another character.