Topics and Resource Materials

This trunk represents a 14-year old Mexican boy who immigrated to the United States when his father accepted a job on the Santa Fe Railroad. He and his family live in the Boxcar Camps in Galesburg, Illinois, and he helps supplement their income by making deliveries for a local grocery store.  While making his rounds, the boy frequently visits with a neighborhood poet and writer named Carl Sandburg who awakens in him a lifelong interest in writing. 

Trunk Background and Bibliography

• The Mexican Boxcar Boy - Coming Soon

Lesson Plans

• 1: Rudy Rides the Rails Lessons

• 2: Children of the Depression Lesson

• 3: Dust Bowl Days Lesson