Aaron Gavin, City Engineer, says the Carl Sandburg College Hispanic-Latino Student Association researched the history of the "boxcar families" and presented it to Galesburg aldermen.
"They originally came to Galesburg to work on the railroad and were part of Galesburg's heritage and history. Helping to build the railroads in Galesburg, they played a big part."
Galesburg is well-known for its raiload history. And the city is honoring the boxcar workers by installing plaques near the camps where the workers lived, and teaching the community about their contributions.
"They're going to be a permanent fixture there near the camps and along the roadway that people that visit Galesburg, or people in Galesburg can go visit and see, and maybe get curious about the boxcar camps and the people that lived in them."
The plaques are located at four different camps in Galesburg named Davis, Santa Fe, West Humps, and Tie Plant. On Monday, Galesburg held a dedication ceremony at the Santa Fe Camp site, and descendents of the original boxcar families were on hand to be honored.
The Sandburg students worked with the Hispanic Latino Resources Group on the project.