Orphan Train

Killinois With Bird and Cam

The Orphan Train 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. The orphan trains operated between 1854 and 1929, relocating about 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children. Many of the orphans were placed in Illinois families, and while some enjoyed happy endings, others didn't. This is our examination of the latter.