History Happened Here

Explore These Six Trails to Get Your Nature Fix

Posted 08/16/17 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with California, Colorado, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, History Happened Here, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Trail Destinations, Vermont, Virginia, Why Use Trails?

The Banks-Vernonia State Trail is a verdant beauty running through its two namesake towns | Courtesy Oregon State Park

Being able to spend time outside to connect with nature is a uniquely special feeling and has many health benefits. It’s also something we believe that everyone should be able to experience. Thankfully, trails enable people of all ages and abilities to do just that. In urban, suburban and rural places all across the country, trails can take us to (and are!) incredible natural spaces.

Full Story
The trail winds through St. Tammany Parish towns and green spaces | Courtesy LouisianaNorthshore.com

Louisiana’s Tammany Trace

Posted 08/16/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Community Events, Encouraging Trail Use, History Happened Here, Louisiana, Tourism , Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

The Tammany Trace is a Southern belle nestled in the pristine natural surroundings of the Northshore across a vast lake from vibrant New Orleans. Spanning 27 miles, the paved pathway crosses a number of small creeks and bayous on more than two dozen bridges, connecting five quaint towns—Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, Lacombe and Slidell—each with their own unique character and appeal.

Photo courtesy The Shared Experience | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Massachusetts’ Cape Cod Rail Trail

Posted 07/06/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, History Happened Here, Massachusetts, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Nestled in an iconic vacation destination about 75 miles down the coast from Boston, the flavor of the Cape Cod Rail Trail is pure summertime: sun-warmed beaches, sparkling waves, refreshing swimming holes and state park campsites nestled among the pines and oaks.

View of Potomac River along Capital Crescent Trail | Photo by Milo Bateman

Maryland and Washington, D.C.’s Capital Crescent Trail

Posted 06/13/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, District Of Columbia, History Happened Here, Maryland, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Forming an emerald arc around western portion of the District of Columbia, the Capital Crescent Trail connects Washington to its Maryland suburbs. The pathway is so lushly wooded that, at times, it might be easy to forget the thrum of the nation’s capital lies just over the trees.

Sacagawea statue | Photo courtesy Charles Dawley | CC by 2.0

10 Trails Named After Influential Women

Posted 03/08/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Best Of, History Happened Here, Most Essential

For Women’s History Month, we honor the visionary women who have made extraordinary impacts in their own communities and for the nation. In some cases, their legacy lives on in the names of trails that are used and loved by communities. Here are just 10 to inspire you.

Taylor on the chainless bicycle on which he won the world championship and broke world records in 1899. Uncredited photo, Taylor scrapbook. | Courtesy Major Taylor Association, Inc.

Honoring the Legacy of African-American Cycling Legend Major Taylor

Posted 02/16/17 by Danielle Taylor in Success Stories, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Biking, Champions, Encouraging Trail Use, History Happened Here, Illinois, Minnesota, Success Stories

Around the turn of the 20th century, bicycle racing dominated America’s sporting scene, with top cyclists commanding the same media attention that A-list Hollywood celebrities enjoy today. As with other mainstream sports in the U.S., professional bicycle racing was generally understood to be for white competitors only, but in the late 1890s, an African-American dynamo exploded onto the scene, racing at record-breaking speeds that couldn’t be ignored. Today, Marshall “Major” Taylor’s legacy lives on in cycling clubs across the U.S. as well as a popular rail-trail in Chicago, his final resting place.

Illinois Prairie Path | Trail photo courtesy David Wilson | CC by 2.0 | Photo of Watts by Isabel Wasson

How May T. Watts Inspired the Illinois Prairie Path and U.S. Rail-Trail Movement

Posted 03/14/16 by Amy Kapp in Success Stories, Taking Action | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Champions, Demand for Trails, History Happened Here, Illinois

May Theilgaard Watts was a writer, illustrator, naturalist, scientist and teacher. Her determination that Americans stay connected to their natural landscape in a time of increasing urbanization was the catalyst that led to the formation of the 61-mile Illinois Prairie Path, which today forms a 61-mile web through the Chicago Area.

Montour Trail in Pennsylvania | Photo courtesy Jim Brown

30 Years: Birth and Evolution of the American Rail-Trail Movement

Posted 03/10/16 by Amy Kapp in Success Stories | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Demand for Trails, Federal, Funding, History Happened Here

The U.S. rail-trail movement began not with a bang—but as an intriguing idea that quietly took hold in the Midwest in the 1960s and eventually spread across the country. Here's a brief history of the rail-trail movement and a glimpse of RTC's future focus on regional trail networks.

Ricker Miller of Andover guides a recovered 1,400-pound milepost back into its proper place beside the Northern Rail Trail. | Photo by Ed Hiller

100-Plus-Year-Old Mileposts Returned to New Hampshire Rail-Trail

Posted 12/10/15 by Amy Kapp in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Signage and Amenities, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Maintenance and Volunteers, New Hampshire

Here’s a fun one for all of you railroad history buffs; volunteers have just returned another 1,400-pound granite milepost to its original position along the Northern Rail Trail in Boscawen, New Hampshire—part of an ongoing effort to recover and return all 58 to their original positions between Concord and Lebanon. Only seven remain missing!