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The Orphan Train Movement was a supervised welfare program that transported orphaned and homeless children from crowded Eastern cities of the U.S. to homes located in rural areas of the Midwest.  The Orphan trains operated between 1854 and 1929 relocating about 250,000 children.  The Orphan Train operated prior to the federal government’s involvement in child protection and child welfare.  Many of these children were placed with parents who loved and cared for them; however, others always felt out of place, and some were even mistreated.