The Marion City Library is hosting the presentation ?Railroads in Kansas? at 7 p.m. Friday, April 13.
William S. Worley, who is on the speaker?s bureau circuit with the Kansas Humanities Council, will discuss facets of the topic.
?Worley?s presentation tells the stories of the rail giants, the town booster, the passengers, the workers and the freight that shaped Kansas? past and continues to shape its future,? said Janet Marler, library director.
Many communities started because of railroads such as the Kansas (Union) Pacific, the KATY and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe, she added.
Worley also will talk about the Kansas Territory owing its creation in 1854 to the desire for a trans?continental railroad.
?The two busiest routes, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific, crossed Kansas carrying the goods of the nation and the world,? Worley said. ?Then and now, Kansas is a railroad state.?
In addition to being part of the KHC Speaker?s Bureau, Worley specializes in Kansas and Missouri history at the Blue River Branch of Metropolitan Community Colleges and at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
The event is in conjunction with the 100th birthday of the Santa Fe Depot, which is now home to the library.
Everyone is invited.
For more information, call the library at 620-382-2442.
