Between 1854 and 1929, more than 200,000 children boarded westbound trains with tags on their coats and hope in their eyes-sent to new lives, new families, and uncertain futures. This is their story.
In
Riding the Rails: The Untold Story of America's Lost Children
, acclaimed historical author
John Frances
delivers a haunting and unforgettable account of the
Orphan Train Movement
, the largest child relocation effort in American history. Combining rich historical detail, emotional first-person narratives, and vivid storytelling, this book shines a light on the children who were abandoned, shipped across the country, and reshaped into someone new.
Follow the journeys of Mary Ann, Eli, and countless others-real stories built from archival records, oral histories, and long-forgotten files buried in church basements and county courthouses.
Who were these children?
What were they promised?
And what did they lose along the way?
With gripping chapters and immersive prose,
Riding the Rails
reckons with a system built on good intentions but marked by silence, erasure, and survival.
Some found homes. Some never did. But all of them deserve to be remembered.
If you love true stories of forgotten history, hidden identities, and the resilience of the human spirit, this is the book you've been waiting for.