All Aboard the Orphan Train!

We are excited to present All Aboard the Orphan Train, a special traveling exhibit curated by the National Orphan Train Complex in Concordia, Kansas! This mini-exhibit will be on view at the newly reopened Burlington Depot in Red Cloud in time for Street Car Days!

An open house will be held at the Burlington Depot from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., Saturday, August 1. Admission to the depot and the orphan train exhibit will be free during this time!

Rev. J.W. Swan, the state representative for the Children's Home Society of New York, and Mrs. Quivy from the Orphans' Home of Omaha often visited Red Cloud, bringing children with them to meet with local residents who wished to raise children. The children were as young as three years old when they traveled to Red Cloud. George M. Wells, a resident of nearby Cowles, came to Webster County in 1902 as part of an orphan train. In 1983, he recorded his story with Mildred Bennett and Don Connors. You can learn more by visiting the Burlington Depot!

Nearly 250,000 children were placed across the Great Plains and western U.S. during the first part of the 20th century. The NOTC was founded to help tell the stories of these children. 

The orphan train exhibit will remain in Red Cloud through September 5, 2026, as part of our standard town tour.