The Orphan Train Movement was a supervised welfare program that transported 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 from about 200,000 children.

Between 1854 and 1929, nearly 250,000 orphaned or abandoned children were relocated from New York City to the Midwest and West. This migration is known as the orphan train. The goal of this relocation effort was to find homes where children could learn practical skills, gain an education and live in a family setting.

Orphan train problems So-called “train children” were frequently bullied and ostracized in their new communities. Some were rejected and never found a home. Others were mistreated by adoptive families or misused as free farm labor, leading to many instances of runaways.