February 13, 2025 1:06:50 AM

The Ottawa Library had a fascinating display in December about Orphan Trains. The Orphan Trains brought hundreds of thousands of abandoned and orphaned children from east coast cities to the American countryside, including Ottawa and many surrounding communities, in an effort to find them homes. Library Director, Terry Chartier told the Ottawa City Commission about some of the stories they had heard from area residents:

Newspaper articles from the time describe orphanages at capacity and believing the streets were no place for a desperately poor child, it was believed the orphans and indigent children would have better lives with families in the west instead of institutionalizing them in cities.