History Happened Here

We Asked—You Answered: Rails-to-Trails Supporters’ Top Priority Picks for 2022 and Beyond

Posted 04/13/22 by Ryan Cree in America's Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here, State and Federal Programs, TrailsTransform

Anacostia River Trail | Photo by Sam Kittner, courtesy Capitol Riverfront BID

Over the past few weeks, we asked our members and supporters for feedback on the direction of our work this year via online survey. We were thrilled to receive more than 10,000 responses from passionate trail users, and we’ll be using what we learned to prioritize our efforts into the future. Here’s a quick rundown of the results. Thanks to everyone who responded!

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Anacostia River Trail | Photo by Sam Kittner, courtesy Capitol Riverfront BID

We Asked—You Answered: Rails-to-Trails Supporters’ Top Priority Picks for 2022 and Beyond

Posted 04/13/22 by Ryan Cree in America's Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here, State and Federal Programs, TrailsTransform

Over the past few weeks, we asked our members and supporters for feedback on the direction of our work this year via online survey. We were thrilled to receive more than 10,000 responses from passionate trail users, and we’ll be using what we learned to prioritize our efforts into the future. Here’s a quick rundown of the results. Thanks to everyone who responded!

Considered icons of the New Orleans jazz sound, King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band recorded their debut album in 1923 at Gennett Records in Richmond, Indiana. | Courtesty Charlie Dahan

A Walk to Remember: Indiana’s Place as the Crucible of American Music

Posted 02/01/22 by Scott Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Featured Magazine Articles, Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here, Indiana

America’s greatest contribution to cultural history is its music, and no matter what kind of music you listen to, it’s been influenced directly by the records made by those artists of Gennett records.

Sheet music image | Courtesy University of Colorado, Music Library

Taters and Trains: The Great Big Baked Potato and the Northern Pacific Line

Posted 11/10/21 by Scott Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Featured Magazine Articles, Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here, Tourism

The year was 1908; Hazen Titus was the new superintendent of dining cars for the now-defunct Northern Pacific (NP) Railway when he overheard a conversation between two passengers that would result in the NP’s dining cars catapulting ahead of the competition and cementing the railway in the public’s imagination.

Photo by Hunter Franklin, courtesy Facebook.com/dollsheadtrail

Eight Creepy Cool Trailside Attractions

Posted 10/27/21 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with COVID-19, District Of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, History Happened Here, Maryland, Ohio, Trail Destinations

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy editorial team really loves Halloween. And while this year may not see the normal amount of costume- and candy-filled events due to safety measures surrounding COVID-19—we still thought we’d present this list of some of our favorite creepy trailside attractions for some much-needed levity (no pun intended?) and fun!

Capital Crescent Trail in Washington, D.C. | Photo by Jon Lowenstein

History Along the Great American Rail-Trail: A Kick-Off With the Creators

Posted 06/14/21 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here, Trail Destinations, TrailNation

In 2019, TrailLink.com™, RTC’s national trail-finder website, embarked on an ambitious historical exploration of the developing Great American Rail-Trail, with a goal to shine a light on the people, landmarks and innovations that encapsulate this iconic 3,700-mile route between Washington, D.C., and Washington State.

Volunteers participate in a sacred corn planting in 2019, sowing the seeds by hand. | Photo by Alex Matzke, courtesy Bold Nebraska

The Legacy of White Buffalo Girl, and the Resiliency of a People

Posted 06/04/21 by Scott Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Featured Magazine Articles, Great American Rail-Trail, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Local Organizing, Nebraska

In Laurel Hill Cemetery just outside the town of Neligh, Nebraska, stands a gravestone. The gravesite represents grief, suffering and a historic injustice. This final resting place marked the end of a short life but the beginning of a generations-long story. Here lies White Buffalo Girl.

Along the Illinois Prairie Path in Warrenville | Photo by Beverly Horne/Daily Herald/dailyherald.com

American Icons: Rail-Trails That Helped Shape the National Landscape

Posted 01/22/21 by Amy Kapp in Policy, America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Featured Magazine Articles, Federal, History Happened Here, Illinois, Recreational Trails Program, Transportation Alternatives

Over the last 60 years, rail-trails have gone from a quiet idea to pillars of America’s social, health, economic, environmental and transportation landscapes—with more than 2,200 rail-trails today encompassing some 24,000+ miles across the United States. Here, as Rails-to-Trails Conservancy celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, we take a closer look at some of the country’s earliest rail-trails, and how they helped inspire and build a nationwide movement.

Along the Manchester Rail Trail in Vermont | Photo by Robin Verner

A Vermont Rail-Trail Leads to the New York Public Library

Posted 12/17/20 by Monica Cardoza in America's Trails | Tagged with History Happened Here, Maintenance and Volunteers, Vermont

In 2000, the town of Manchester commissioned a feasibility study to convert the MD&G railbed into a recreation trail. “The project just needed someone to step up to the challenge and make it happen,” said Robin Verner, who with his wife, Amy, and friends Bill Drunsic and Jim Hand, formed Old Railroad Bed LLC in 2009 to purchase the last remaining section of the original line. In March, Manchester voters will vote on town acquisition of the privately held trail.

Anacostia River views from the trail | Photo by Joe Flood

Washington, D.C., and Maryland’s Anacostia River Trail

Posted 08/13/20 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Capital Trails Coalition, District Of Columbia, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Maryland, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, TrailNation

Just beyond the iconic monuments and museums that make up the central core of Washington, D.C., lies one of the area’s best kept secrets: the Anacostia River Trail, a 20-mile route along the city’s eastern waterway that offers an extraordinary tapestry of experiences on its journey to Bladensburg, Maryland.

Alex Haley Heritage Square in Knoxville, TN | Photo by Brent Moore

Lose Yourself on a Literary Trail

Posted 04/20/20 by Scott Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with History Happened Here, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Tennessee

Just as trails physically knit together communities and strengthen bodies, books have the power to connect individuals and strengthen minds. Celebrate World Book Day (March), National Library Week (April) and Book Lovers Day (August) with a trip down these literary-themed trails.

Thermal Belt Rail Trail bridge over Highway 74 | Photo by Dana Bradley

North Carolina’s Thermal Belt Rail Trail

Posted 02/11/20 by Cindy Barks in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Best Of, Funding, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, North Carolina, RTC in Action, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Today, the 13.58-mile Thermal Belt Rail Trail lies where the old Southern Railroad, and later the Thermal Belt Railway, once ran. The trail has been a boon for Rutherford County on a number of levels.

Connectivity Evolution: Examining a Decade of Rails-to-Trails’ Impact, 2010–2020

Posted 12/31/19 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Success Stories, Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Capital Trails Coalition, Caracara, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here, IHTC, Miami LOOP, Recreational Trails Program, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Transportation Alternatives, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Here’s a look at RTC and a decade of rail-trails—their power and their impact. As the 2010s built momentum, opportunities to maximize the power of these essential community assets became clear, and a new focus took hold at RTC and across the movement: that of regional connectivity and, ultimately, connecting the country by trail like never before. Check out RTC's connectivity evolution over the past decade.