Great American Railroad Journeys

- Season 2

(2017)

Michael presents his second American rail route using the Appleton's guide, this time along a great axis of the pioneers follow-up west of the Appalachians, across the great barrier stream Mississippi. For long, the main city westward apart from Chicago was its central port Saint Louis, the Western metropolis supplying cowboy country. It prospered, growing into a real great city, flouting old and new monuments, including the 1874 engineering pioneer bridge named after US architect Eads and iconic arch which has a train inside instead of a lift.

Documentary- Michael Portillo visits The gateway Arch in St. Louis, replica of the original keel boat used for historic expedition, we see corn pipes made in Washington, MO, and a fortified building that was the jail for the entire Wild West. He visits Hermann, MO and wineries and we hear how the outbreak of WW2 practically killed off the German language in the area, but many people have German heritage.

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Michael is in Lawrence, a fast-grown city in the Bleeding Kansas era of pioneers establishing a territory of Kansas and claiming statehood during the the slavery conflict escalating into the Civil war of Secession. Its home to a rare Indian school -founded to gruesomely assimilate natives from tribes from many states- turned college, where he enjoys an Indian prairie grouse dance in 'full regalia', and the proud birthplace of regulation basketball at Kansas University. A private tourist line keeps the steam train experience alive.

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