What’s Coming Down the Line: Railroads in the American Mind with Mike Matejka

Illinois is the nation’s railroad crossroads. This not only shaped the state’s economy and communities but created an industry with a cultural allure. The speeding locomotive was a real-life representation of progress, and people gathered trackside to marvel at the big city opulence represented by an Illinois-built Pullman car.

Railroads not only accelerated Illinois’ economic development and population growth, but also became icons that influenced American culture. The national land-based transportation network radically changed the economy, how people traveled, and how corporate structure evolved. Rail workers were seen as heroic as they faced an extremely dangerous occupation. The railroad became a cultural symbol, reflected in advertising, cinema, and children’s toys.

Mike Matejka is a historian, writer, and community organizer with a passion for Illinois labor history and years of experience presenting to a wide range of audiences.

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This event is co-produced by the Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, which invites Illinois authors, artists and educators to share their expertise and enthusiasm with people throughout the state, enabling local nonprofit organizations to present free-admission cultural programs to their communities.

Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom and the Illinois General Assembly [through the Illinois Arts Council Agency], as well as by contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations.