The Dowagiac Area History Museum will welcome descendants, family and friends of Orphan Train riders for a family-reunion style event at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23.

The event will include a keynote speaker, an area to record family memories and a preview of the Orphan Train mural in downtown Dowagiac.

In the mid-1800s, homeless, abandoned, and orphaned children roamed the streets of New York City. In 1853, Charles Loring Brace founded the Children’s Aid Society to care for the children with the ultimate goal of having the children adopted. Brace’s intention with the Orphan Train was to send these children, by train, to be adopted by families in the western United States (Michigan at that time was part of the western U.S.).

He sent the first train of 46 children west in September 1854 with one destination: Dowagiac.

After an arduous journey of two trains and two boats (including one across Lake Erie), the children arrived safely in Dowagiac. Over the course of several days, 37 of the children were taken in by local families. This experiment led to 75 years of Orphan Trains placing out 250,000 children across the continental United States.

Not all children had positive experiences, but many children had a new start on life.

“Starting a New Life: Dowagiac’s Orphan Train Story” is a series of programs honoring the orphans, their journey, achievements, struggles and Dowagiac’s part in history.  The project is funded in part by the Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and local donors.

The Riders Reunion features special keynote speaker Shaley George, curator at the National Orphan Train Complex in Concordia, Kansas. The Museum and Research Center are dedicated to the preservation of the stories and artifacts of those who were part of the Orphan Train Movement from 1854 to 1929.

It is estimated that there are more than 4 million descendants of orphan train children, and nearly one in 25 Americans has an Orphan Train rider connection. Many Orphan Train children were like Mr. Art F. Smith, of Iowa.

“I didn’t find out until I was 71 that I was part of something,” Smith said. “I knew I was sent out to Iowa with a bunch of kids, but I didn’t know there were 200,000 of us.  All of us were surprised to learn about it, and now wherever we go, we try to tell people our story.’’

The public is invited to experience the stories. The reunion is free and open to the public. The event will be at the Dowagiac Area History Museum, 201 E. Division St.

For more information on “Starting a New Life: Dowagiac’s Orphan Train Story” visit dowagiacmuseum.info/orphan-train.