Contributed photo Lori Vicker has presented her program on orphan train riders at many libraries, churches and club meetings.

Educator Lori Vicker will present her program “Remembering the Orphans” at the Marshalltown Public Library 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 18. The program centers on the Orphan Train Movement in which abandoned children were brought to new homes, often by train from 1854 to 1929.

“It’s one of those pieces of history that’s never been recorded. We’ve never had it in our history books,” Vicker, a retired teacher and adjunct professor, said.

Vicker’s interest in the Orphan Train Movement began when she met Mary McClain, an orphan train rider descendant. McClain visited Vicker’s class of teachers at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. and shared her mothers’ experience as an orphan train rider.

After meeting McClain, Vicker wanted to learn more about the movement. Vicker contacted the Genealogy Society in Sioux Center to see if they knew any orphan train rider descendants. They were not able to connect her with any, but asked her to come talk about the Orphan Train Movement at the Sioux Center library.

“We had a really good turnout. There were probably 80-something people,” Vicker said.

Following the program, one of the librarians put information about this program on a library server. After that, the requests came pouring in.

Vicker is going on her third year and whenever she presents, someone in the audience asks for her to present somewhere else.

Her presentation includes children’s clothes that are similar to what the riders would have worn. Vicker also shares historical fiction and nonfiction books for those who may want to learn more about the movement.

“There are no orphan train riders living today. They’re all deceased,” she said.

Vicker said there is an estimated two to three million descendants of orphan train riders.

Even when the riders were alive, there was not much discussion about it.

Many were reluctant to speak about their experience, partially because of the stigma surrounding the orphan train riders. Vicker’s neighbor did not know her father was an orphan train rider until he had passed away.

The movement definitely had its problems. According to Vicker, the riders were often regarded by the communities they entered as riff raff. She said they were rarely adopted but remained as foster children in order to not mess with the inheritance of the biological children.

“It wasn’t the perfect system,” Vicker said.

However, she believes it would have been much worse for the children had they remained where they were, often homeless.

The movement began when Reverend Charles Loring visited New York City and saw many homeless children living in squalor. He got the idea to transport the children to the Midwest where they could be taken in by families.

Vicker believes the movement is important to learn about because it is part of the nation’s history. And for the descendants of the riders, it is part of their personal story.

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Contact Anna Shearer at 641-753-6611 or ashearer@timesrepublican.com.