Above: Emory Purcell, a member of the Table Rock family of Jack and Ida Purcell, watches a train go by, probably one of the cannonballs between Kansas City and Denver. This is a Purcell family photo shared by Terry Korell of Lingle, Wyo-ming.
A Purcell family orphan train story
There are a number of stories of children who came to Pawnee County via the Orphan Train. As I understand it, the children generally went from New York City to Lincoln or Omaha to a children’s home and clusters of them were then brought down on a perhaps regular basis. There are reports that they were exhibited on the stage of the Pawnee City Opera House. Wherever they stood to be examined, they c…
