Joseph's Railroad Dreams
Elementary: Grades 3–4
Story
Joseph's Railroad Dreams
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Joseph loved trains, and in 1898, there was no better place to be a boy who loved trains than in Chicago. Joseph thought his city was the train capital of the world.
All day long, trains rolled into Chicago from the east, the west, the north, and the south. Some trains carried people. Some carried freight. Some carried animals headed for the city's giant stockyards.
All day long, trains rolled out of Chicago, heading in all directions. In addition to people, the trains carried useful things made in Chicago to places all over the country. Joseph liked to watch the trains from his favorite spot near the rail yard. From there, the rows and rows of tracks seemed to split and connect in patterns that were hard to trace, even though Joseph tried.
Many trains came through Joseph's West Side neighborhood too. Some rumbled across the city streets. They made crossing the streets difficult, but Joseph could get a close look. Some were elevated trains that rode on a metal track high above Lake Street. They carried people to work and to shop downtown. When Joseph was born, the "L" train wasn't even there.
Joseph was only four years old the first time he rode an elevated train. It was the first "L" train in Chicago, and it carried people to the giant fair in 1893. Joseph's older sister Lily was a little scared to ride the elevated train the first time. But Joseph wasn't. He thought it was the most exciting day of his life. When they got off, Lily said, "That was a long ride."
Joseph disagreed. "It wasn't long enough!" he said.
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In 1895, when Joseph was six, the "L" train came to his neighborhood. Joseph watched them build the metal tracks. The first day they rode that train, Lily said, "That was a long ride." Joseph disagreed, "It wasn't long enough!"
Two years later, the ride got longer. The Lake Street "L" joined the brand new Loop downtown. Lake Street riders could go from Joseph's neighborhood to the heart of downtown, circle around, and ride out again. When Joseph and Lily rode the Loop for the first time, Lily said, "That was a really long ride."
Joseph said, "A longer ride is a better ride, that's what I say!"
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