Why did the orphan train end?

Answer 1

The number of Orphan Trains began to decline dramatically in the 1920's. Many

factors contributed to the decline and eventual ending of the placing out

programs.

Perhaps the most significant road block for the orphan trains was the growing

number of state legislatures that began passing laws to restrict or forbid the

interstate placement of children.

In 1887, Michigan passed the first law in the United States regulating the

placement of children within the state. Again in 1895, Michigan passed a state law

requiring out-of-state, child-placement agencies to post a bond for each child the

agency brought into the state of Michigan.

In 1899, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota enacted similar but stricter laws which had

the effect of prohibiting the placement of incorrigible, diseased, insane or criminal

children within their state boundaries.

Using these state laws as models, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North

Why_did_the_orphan_trains_end, Ohio, and South Dakota passed similar laws withing five years.

If you want to research possible state laws in your state that restricted child

placement, a good reference is Laws Relating to Interstate Placement of

Dependent Children, U.S. Children's Bureau, Government Printing Office, 1924,

Washington D.C. Compiled by Emelyn Foster Pick.

http://www.orphantraindepot.com/StateLawsStopTrains.html