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Stories of the Orphan Train Riders

Cheryl Hill

Around the turn of the twentieth century, children from the East coast were “sent” to the Midwest on trains.  Once these children were relocated, they went to live with local families.  Read several personal accounts of actual Orphan Train riders.

1.     Read Elliott Bobo’s account of his Orphan Train experience : http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/orphan/index.html

First, retell Elliott’s account of being “paraded” before the group of prospective parents.

Then, answer this question:  Do you believe Elliott’s behavior was understandable or not?  Support your opinion.

 

2.     Choose one other personal account of an Orphan Train Rider from the following Web site:
http://www.orphantrainriders.com/riders11.html

Give the name of this person and compare/contrast his/her experience with that of Elliott Bobo.

 

3.  Do you believe the Orphan Trains were basically positive or negative?  Support your opinion.

 

Standards

USD 259 8^th Grade Language Arts Standards 1 – 5
USD 259 8^th Grade Social Studies 3 and 6
ISTE NETS for Students Standard 5