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The End of the Line, Orphan Trains
| Length: | 47 min |
| Released: | 1991 |
| Ages: |
College Adult |
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This fascnating film tells the little-known story of homeless youths from eastern cities who were resettled on farms in the Midwest.
Charles Loring Brace, founder of the Children's Aid Society, conceived the idea of sending abandoned children for foster care to farm families in the Midwest, as an alternative to institutionalization. Thus started the project that continued for some eighty years. The children were dressed and scrubbed and loaded onto trains. Upon arrival they were lined up for inspection. Those not chosen were sent to another community.
The orphan trains and the traumatic lineups seem barbaric by today's standards, but the alternative of the almshouse was even harsher. The last orphan trains were sent during the Depression. We meet adults whose lives were reshaped by their journey. While many have painful memories, they have all grown into healthy productive citizens.
Charles Loring Brace, founder of the Children's Aid Society, conceived the idea of sending abandoned children for foster care to farm families in the Midwest, as an alternative to institutionalization. Thus started the project that continued for some eighty years. The children were dressed and scrubbed and loaded onto trains. Upon arrival they were lined up for inspection. Those not chosen were sent to another community.
The orphan trains and the traumatic lineups seem barbaric by today's standards, but the alternative of the almshouse was even harsher. The last orphan trains were sent during the Depression. We meet adults whose lives were reshaped by their journey. While many have painful memories, they have all grown into healthy productive citizens.
American Film & Video Festival, 1991
