The emotional story of children sent westward to find a new family told in new documentary
鈥榃est by Orphan Train鈥� chronicles the adoption practice that lasted decades
鈥榃est by Orphan Train鈥� chronicles the adoption practice that lasted decades
Step back in time to March 15, 1906, when the Orphan Train pulled into the Eastern Iowa town of Hopkinton. Townsfolk paused in their daily routines, drawn to the unusual gathering prompted by the newspaper's notice鈥攃hildren seeking new homes. This was just one day of the Orphan Train Movement, and it aimed to offer these children with no relatives and no homes a chance at family life in rural areas where they might thrive.
These stories are highlighted in the new documentary available on Very Local, 鈥淲est by Orphan Train.鈥� The film is streaming now, and dives into the stories of these children, capturing the hopes and uncertainties that marked their journey from bustling New York orphanages to the quiet, expansive farms of the Midwest. It sheds light on the complex social experiment that redistributed 250,000 orphaned or homeless children across the United States over 75 years.
How to watch 鈥淲est by Orphan Train鈥�
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