Community members can learn how railroads built Kansas and the crucial role Osawatomie played in the effort during a program Saturday, April 20, at the Miami County Historical Museum. Speaker Leo Oliva will lead a free presentation called “Railroads of 19th Century Kansas: Progress and Pain” that is set to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at the museum, which is located at 12 E. Peoria St. in Paola. Few industries dominated the economy of the nation in the 19th century more than the railroad, according to a museum news release about the program. “Railroads brought immigrant settlers, created jobs, and fed beef markets in the East. They enabled regular mail service and the adoption of standard time. Most Kansas towns were founded because of the railroad, and few survived without it. Yet the advancement of the railroad industry came at a significant cost to the Plains Indians who were forcibly displaced by this westward expansion,” the release states. “This presentation examines the complicated legacy of railroads and the impact on native peoples who called Kansas home.”
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
