Riding the Rails to Hero Street, the first film in the Hero Street documentary series, tell the story of the immigrants’ early 1900s journey from Mexico, during the revolution, to Cook's Point in Davenport, Holy City in Bettendorf, Iowa, and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad train yards and boxcar homes in Silvis, Illinois. The families of Hero Street experienced both acceptance and discrimination in their new community. Around the time of the great depression, the families were removed from the rail yards and some moved box cars or built new homes on 2nd Street in Silvis.
Interviews with family members, friends, veterans, community leaders and historians are combined with vintage photos, film, and archival materials to tell an unforgettable story of American courage, character and perseverance.
Only a block and a half long, the street lost six young men in World War II and two in the Korean War, more than any other street in America. Hero Street, as it is now known, has provided over 100 service members since World War II.
Riding the Rails to Hero Street was funded in part by Humanities Iowa.
Special Features (TBD)*
Art on the final DVD may differ from the image above.
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Letters Home to Hero Street focuses on a young Mexican-American veteran's personal view of World War II as told through the letters he sent home to his family in Silvis, Illinois. He becomes one of eight veterans of WWII and the Korean War killed in combat from the same block-and-a half long neighborhood now called Hero Street, USA.
Frank Sandoval was just beginning a new job at the Rock Island Arsenal when he was drafted in 1942. He sent hundreds of letters to family and friends during the two years he was in the service and the 130 letters that remain tell the story of one man's dramatic and epic journey from Illinois to India. Killed on the bank of the Irrawaddy River in Burma on June 1944, Frank was one of the first of the Hero Street Eight to fall in combat.
Letters Home to Hero Street features Eric Juarez, Maya Chavez, Cindy Ramos and Josh Wielenga.
The film is a co-production between Fourth Wall Films and WQPT-PBS.
Letters was produced by Lora Adams, produced and written by Tammy Rundle, and directed by Kelly Rundle.
The film was partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
DVD Features
- Letters Home to Hero Street (25-minutes)
- Tanilo's Story - Honor Flight Featurette
- Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
- Film Trailer
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