Tracks

The Underground Railroad was unofficially organized in the 1830s, resulting in a network of houses, which created several loose routes to freedom. As JM Haskins states in Get on Board: The Story of the Underground Railroad, "Escaped slaves commonly took routes through Illinois, Delaware, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New England states" (14). Unfortunately, not many records were kept, so researchers are still attempting to uncover what and who were actually part of the Underground Railroad. To move along the "tracks" of the railroad, escaped slaves simply followed the Big Dipper northward, though a lucky few found conductors to lead them through to specific houses. Conductors identified themselves as "a friend with friends" to show they were with the Railroad. Unfortunately, many are accredited as members of the Railroad, who really were not, like the Tallmans of Janesville, Wisconsin. "Although (William) Tallman supported the cause of abolition while in Janesville, there’s no evidence that the Wisconsin home was part of the Underground Railroad network" (oldnorthwestterritory.northwestquarterly.com). Adversely, some true helpers will remain forgotten in time. We will never know how many there were, or the exact extent of the avenues, but they saved many thousands of African slaves from a horrific life.