Between 1854 and 1929, an estimated 200,000 orphaned, abandoned and runaway children, primarily from industrialized cities in the East, boarded trains bound for Midwestern farming communities in search of a better life. Experts consider this period of mass relocation, often referred to as the Orphan Train Era, as the precursor to the modern foster care system. PLACING OUT: THE ORPHAN TRAINS bring this seldom-heard story to the forefront. The hopeful, sad and frequently poignant reminiscences from surviving riders, their descendants, historians and local officials put a human face on the Orphan Train Era.
Watch SCREENtime Thursday, August 23, 2012 at 8pm.
Produced by Smoky Hills Public Television in Bunker Hill, Kansas.
