What’s Coming Down the Line? The Railroad in the American Mind

Illinois is the nation’s railroad crossroads. This not only altered the state’s economy and communities but also represented an industry with a cultural allure. The speeding locomotive meant progress, and people gathered trackside to watch the train arrive and marvel at the opulent, Illinois-built Pullman cars. 

Railroads not only accelerated Illinois’ economic development and population boom but also were 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 labored in a hazardous occupation. The railroad became a cultural symbol, reflected in advertising, cinema, and children’s toys. Climb aboard for a train ride into our culture.

Speaker Bio:

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

Mike is president of the Illinois Labor History Society and on the boards of the Historic Pullman Foundation and the McLean County Museum of History. For 40 years, he edited the Grand Prairie Union News. He has written extensively on railroad and labor topics, plus curated seven exhibits at the McLean County Museum of History. His most recent exhibit is "Deadly Deception: The Asbestos Tragedy in McLean County," won an award from the American Association for State & Local History. His books include Bloomington’s C&A Shops: Our Lives Remembered (with Illinois Humanities Board Alum Greg Koos), about railroad repair shop workers, and Fiery Struggle: Illinois Fire Fighters Build a Union, 1935-1985.

Mike served on the Bloomington City Council for 18 years and is co-chair of “Not In Our Town,” a community anti-discrimination effort.