Navigating the Rails

Mapping History

All documents and text associated with this activity are printed below, followed by a worksheet for student responses.

Introduction

On September 21st, 1886, Lola Houck received word that her nine-month-old child was deathly ill. The child was staying at the home of Houck's parents in Galveston, Texas, at the time. Houck bought a train ticket on the Southern Pacific Railway to get to her child as soon as possible. She had made this trip plenty of times before, but this time it was different. As Houck approached the train, a young shoeshine boy informed the brakeman of the train that Houck was African American. Houck had a light complexion which previously gave her access to better accommodations on the railroad. With her race publically known and the fact that she was a woman unaccompanied by her husband, Houck was vulnerable to mistreatment. Upon boarding, she quickly became the victim of abuse by the brakeman working on the train. After enduring a miserable journey in which she was publicly humiliated, she and her husband sued the Southern Pacific Railway for damages.

Read the questions posted along the train route on which Houck travelled (line 137 represents the Southern Pacific’s tracks). Access Houck’s testimony (available in the tray beneath the map) to answer these questions and post your answers in the provided response boxes. Finally, drag and drop the specific pages of the testimony from which you got your answers next to the question the page(s) answers.

Once you are finished with the activity, answer/reflect on all of the questions in the “When You’re Done" section.

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Worksheet

Navigating the Rails

Mapping History

Examine the documents and text included in this activity. Consider how each document or piece of text relates to the image shown below. Write the corresponding document or text number on the image where you think it belongs. (Some may be placed for you already.) Write your conclusion response in the space provided.

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Direct Examination of Lola Houck

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Direct Examination of Lola Houck

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Direct Examination of Lola Houck

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Direct Examination of Lola Houck

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Direct Examination of Lola Houck

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Direct Examination of Lola Houck

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Direct Examination of Lola Houck

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Direct Examination of Lola Houck

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In what kind of railcar does Houck say she typically travelled? Why do you think such a car existed?

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Enter Your Response

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Describe the altercation at the Inez station. What is the significance of Houck's dress?

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According to onlookers, what did it look like Houck was doing when she was sitting on the back steps of the train?

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Why was the colonel trying to help Houck? What does his offer of help demonstrate about the inequality of power based on race and gender during this time period?

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What did the brakeman do to Houck once they reached Rosenberg?

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Conclusion

Navigating the Rails

Mapping History

Based on Houck’s testimony, how would you describe "proper" womanhood during this time period?
How did Houck’s race complicate her ability to fulfill society’s standards of appropriate femininity?
With Reconstruction incomplete and federal troops withdrawn from the South, were more incidents like this bound to increase?
Would courts be more willing to segregate public facilities in the future?

Your Response

Document

Direct Examination of Lola Houck

1888

This is the testimony of Lola Houck (please note that it includes racist language) from the case Leon L. Houck and Lola Houck v. The Southern Pacific Company.

In this court case, plaintiffs Lola and Leon Houck sought monetary damages (payment) from the railroad company after Mrs. Houck was denied a seat in the first class car.

On September 21, 1886, Lola Houck had received word that her nine-month-old child was deathly ill. The child was at the home of Houck's parents in Galveston, Texas, at the time, so she bought a train ticket on the Southern Pacific Railway to get to her child as soon as possible.

Houck had made this trip plenty of times before; but this time it was different. As Houck approached the train, a young shoeshine informed Charles Oaks, the brakeman of the train, that Houck was African-American. Houck was of a lighter complexion, which had previously given her easier access to better accommodations on the railroad.

Given this news and the fact that Houck was a woman unaccompanied by her husband, she was vulnerable to mistreatment. Upon boarding the train, she quickly became the victim of abuse by the brakeman working for the railroad. The Jim Crow car was—in Mrs. Houck’s words, "not a fit place for a woman to go in"—being filled with smoke and rough characters both white and black, so she was compelled to ride between the cars in a rainstorm. After enduring a miserable journey in which she was publicly humiliated, she and her husband sued Southern Pacific Railway.

In a rare victory, the judge awarded Mrs. Houck $2,500 in damages and denied the railroad company’s motion for a retrial.

This primary source comes from the Records of District Courts of the United States.

Full Citation: Direct Examination of Lola Houck; 1888; 1439: Leon L. Houck and Lola Houck v. The Southern Pacific Company; Law Case Files, 1867 - 1938; Records of District Courts of the United States, ; National Archives at Fort Worth, Texas. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/lola-houck, April 26, 2024]