Riding the Rails with The American Experience Online

Posted on April 8, 1998

At the height of the Great Depression, there were 250,000 teenagers living on the road in America. The country's economic collapse had destroyed everything in their young lives many of their fathers had lost their jobs, some had been evicted from their homes, even their schools went bankrupt and closed their doors. Tens of thousands of teenagers hopped freight trains in search of better lives.

Launching on Monday, April 13, The Riding the Rails Web feature on The American Experience Online follows the little-known story of teenage hoboswhy they left their homes, how they struggled to survive, and how the experience shaped their lives. The site complements The American Experience broadcast of Riding the Rails, airing on PBS, Monday, April 13 at 9pm ET (check local listings). This film, by producers, Michael Uys and Lexy Lovell, has won eight major awards, including Best Documentary from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

The Riding the Rails site allow to:

Find out about the teenagers who criss-crossed the country in boxcars during the Great Depression

Read candid, never-before published letters written by seventy and eighty-year-olds who share their painful and poignant stories,

Listen to the American folk tunes of the time, including RealAudio® of tunes by Tommy Rhoades, Noel Westbrook, and others.

Trace the journeys of these rail-riding teens with maps of two of the major rail lines of the day.

Find out about the special challenges African American teens faced living on the rails through an online essay and archival photography.

Read submissions from former hobos who send along their own 'Tales from the Rails.' They'll be posted in the coming weeks.

The American Experience Online produces a companion website for every new television broadcast of The American Experience, with information beyond the broadcast including program schedules, teacher guides, audience feedback, and links to related sites.