Thursday, July 31, 2014

The Orphan Train

Every one loved reading The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.  Amazed to learn of a part of our American history that no one in our club knew.  Well except for Queen Grace who shared that The Orphan Train had stopped in Opelousas, LA and in fact there is an exhibit at the Opelousas Museum.  There is also an official Orphan Train museum in Concordia, Kansas that tells the story of these 200,000 children who rode the rails from 1854 to 1929.  Most of these children were immigrants who came through Ellis Island.

The story of Vivian Daly is fictional in that she is a work of fiction.  However the events in her life are all based on historical facts and first hand stories.

One of the discussion points was about the portage of the Wabanki Indians.  They had to limit their possessions to what they could carry overland in their canoes.  Naturally, this reminded us of our hurricane evacuations and how we choose what to bring with us.  Our values determine what we hold dear and near to us.  Most of us have a Huccicane Evacuation plan or box that contains important papers and photographs of family.  Since this is Hurricane Searson, make sure your hurricane plan is up to date.