Before the Civil War, the Underground Railroad was a network of hundreds of safe houses throughout the North and South that served as hiding places on the road to freedom for tens of thousands of runaway slaves who risked their lives in a long, hazardous journey, often on foot, that frequently stretched more than 1,000 miles. It is also the story of perseverance, bravery, and humanity in which thousands of whites risked social scorn, business setbacks, arrests, fines, prison, and even death to assist runaway slaves. Because of its dangerous and highly secretive nature, there were no records of the âconductorsâ on the Underground Railroad nor was there a list of the âdepots.â No one really knew (or knows) how extensive it was. The Underground Railroad became legendary when the war ended and newspapers and magazines reported its success in glowing detail. Some claimed that over one million slaves escaped to freedom on the Underground Railroad, but todayâs scholars think the actual numbers range between 40,000 and 100,000.