My grandparents, my father’s parents, migrated into the United States in the early 1900’s. They were young, unmarried and alone. They chose their path together to both prosper in a new world from what they had left behind in Mexico.

They had no plan when they crossed the border other than seeking a way to begin a life together. They severed their ties with their families in Mexico.

Upon entering the United States they rode railcars to seek a new destination to begin their lives together. It was not an elaborate beginning, however, they managed to make due in building their first home together in what became their first settlement on U.S. soil.

They managed to settle along the river in a small town in Herington, Kansas. The community they chose to start their lives was situated along the river where old railroad boxcars served as shelter for those just passing through.

My grandparents lived there long enough to raise their children in boxcars along the banks of the river. My father has vivid memories of playing along the railroad tracks with his older brother as they collected coal that had fallen from the passing freight trains carrying coal. The coal was to keep a fire burning for the family in the cold winter nights.

As years passed my grandfather was able to work for the railroad and move their family to a larger city and into a home where they raised four children. Ironically, the mode of transportation that brought them to their settlement on U.S. soil solidified a lasting job for my grandfather until his retirement.