Murder and Mayhem Rode the Rails
In the era when railroads were the dominant form of transportation, murder, mayhem, accidents, and other calamities frequently disrupted the tranquility of railroad excursions. These shocking occurrences often dominated and grabbed the headlines of local newspapers and alarmed the traveling public. By 1907, railroads were the largest cause of violent death in the nation. In this course, we explore the unexamined stories of murder and mayhem on the rails, including cold-blooded killings, Jesse James-like local train robberies, and serious accidents.