“Railroaded: The Industry that Shaped Kansas,” is a presentation and discussion by Leo E. Oliva made possible by Humanities Kansas. Some claim that Kansas was created specifically to accommodate westward expansion of the railroads. Railroads brought immigrants, created jobs, and fed beef markets in the East. Most Kansas towns were founded because of the railroad, and few survived without it. This presentation examines the complicated legacy of railroads in Kansas. Leo Oliva is a historian with a research focus on 19th-century Kansas. He is the author of Soldiers on the Santa Fe Trail, six books for the Kansas Fort Series, and a founding member of the Santa Fe Trail Association and Fort Larned Old Guard. Railroads are the key to understanding the development of Kansas,” said Oliva.