Great American Railroad Journeys - Season 2 - Eps 19: Mattoon, Illinois to Columbus, Kentucky
Armed with his 19th-century Appleton's Guide, Michael Portillo continues his 1,000-mile journey, beginning and ending on the Mississippi River from Minnesota to Tennessee. Riding the mainline of mid-America, Michael stops at rural Mattoon, where he gets a taste of the tough early life which shaped President Abraham Lincoln. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Michael struggles to split one rail compared with Lincoln's estimated 700 a day. Basket in hand, Michael joins the Schwartz family apple harvest in Centralia and learns how to make apple butter. He uncovers industrial unrest in the coal mines of Carbondale then heads to Kentucky and the banks of the Mississippi, where a bloody conflict unfolded which proved decisive in victory for Lincoln's Union.
About Great American Railroad Journeys
Title: Great American Railroad Journeys
First Air Date: 2016-02-01
Last Air Date: 2020-03-28
Status: Ended
Rating: 9/10 (from 1 votes)
Language: EN
Seasons: 5
Total Episodes: 75
Network: BBC Two
Genres: Documentary
Production Companies: FremantleMedia
Synopsis
Michael Portillo crosses the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America, armed with Appleton's General Guide to the United States, published in 1879.
Cast
Michael Portillo
Self - Presenter
