By: Ryan Duey
Photo Courtesy of National Orphan Train Complex
From Thursday, June 12th to Saturday, June 14th, the National Orphan Train Complex (NOTC) in Concordia will host its 22nd annual Celebration of Orphan Train Riders.
NOTC is dedicated to collecting and preserving the history of the many people who were part of the Orphan Train Movement from 1854 to 1929.
Wonda Phillips, Board Treasurer and Museum Volunteer, spoke about the National Complex.
“We are collecting and assisting descendants regarding the orphan train movement, the movement lasted for 75 years.”
“It is pretty much not documented because it was 2 private religious organizations doing the work.”
“So, we are trying to gather information on these 250,000 children who would have been placed out this way.”
Descendants of orphan train riders and area experts will gather in Concordia for the multi-day celebration. Events will begin on Thursday with the dedication and unveiling of new window coverings and plaques at NOTC at 4:15 p.m., followed by a statue unveiling in Jamestown.
Many descendants and experts will speak during the celebration. Phillips said people come from all over the country.
“We have people who are registered, some of them are descendants, some are not, coming from Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, California, and Iowa.”
“It’s a great opportunity for descendants to share the stories of their Orphan Train Rider. We’ll have a couple from Iowa who will tell us how they tracked down their Orphan Train Rider and their family.
“We will offer any descendants who wish to speak an opportunity to share the story of their Riders.”
On Friday, events kick off at 9:00 a.m. at Cloud County Community College. The celebration will culminate with an Awards Banquet and luncheon on Saturday at Cloud County Community College at 11:30 a.m.
All registered events are currently full, but many other events are taking place that do not require registration. For a full schedule of events, visit the Orphan Train Depot’s website.
