Illinois

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.

Fallasburg Covered Bridge (Lowell, Michigan) along the North Country Trail/Iron Belle Trail | Photo by Tom Pidgeon Photography

Best of the Midwest: Five Major Trail Developments in America’s Heartland

Posted 11/14/16 by Brian K. Housh in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, IHTC, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Route of the Badger, State and Federal Programs, Wisconsin

Today, representatives of 22 bike/ped organizations and government agencies from six states are convening in Illinois for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s 2016 Midwest Policy Summit. The bike/ped landscape in the region has changed dramatically in recent years, and there are many major projects in the works. Here are five big happenings in the Heartland that are changing the face of active transportation (in no particular order).

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.

Nov. 1, 2015, ribbon cutting for the Thorn Creek Trail and Old Plank Road Trail extensions in Chicago Heights, Illinois | Photo by Thomas' Photographic Services

Illinois Completes Southeast Portion of 500-Mile "Grand" Trail Network

Posted 11/13/15 by Amy Kapp in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Connected Systems, Illinois, Trail Communities

A ribbon cutting recently took place in Chicago Heights, Illinois, to celebrate the completion of extensions for the 16-mile Thorn Creek Trail and 22-mile, in-progress Old Plank Road Trail. This is big for Cook and Will counties and big for the entire region, as it brings the 500-Mile Grand Illinois Trail Network closer to completion.

Photo courtesy Clark Maxwell | CC by 2.0

Notice: Upcoming Railroad Abandonment in Champaign County, Ill.

Posted 03/30/15 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Taking Action | Tagged with Abandonment Notices, Corridors and Railbanking, Illinois

On or about March 23, 2015, Illinois Central Railroad Company filed for the abandonment of 3.2 miles of track between Bondville and Seymour in Champaign County, Illinois. We are providing this information because it presents an opportunity to develop a real regional asset: a multi-use trail that can accommodate hikers, bikers, equestrians and other appropriate uses.

Photo © www.facebook.com/MEPRD

Two Minutes With Mike Buehlhorn - Executive Director of MEPRD

Posted 10/11/13 by Mike Buehlhorn in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Illinois, Trail Communities

With lots of attention being paid these days to how trail systems encourage healthy communities, there is a lot of buzz around Madison and St. Clair counties in Illinois' St. Louis Metro Area. The reason for the buzz? The Metro East Park and Recreation District (MEPRD), which since 2000 has helped build hundreds of miles of dedicated bike facilities and sparked a surge in active transportation. Keen to learn how they do it, RTC grabbed a couple of minutes with its executive director, Mike Buehlhorn.

Photo © Jean Mooring

We Asked You - What's So Great About Trails in Illinois?

Posted 10/11/13 by Rhonda Romano in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Best Of, Illinois, Trail Communities

As you may have noticed, October is “all things Illinois” here at RTC – all this month we’re diving into what’s happening around trails, biking and walking in The Prairie State. So we reached out to our members and supporters who live and work there to get it straight from the source - what’s so great about Illinois?

Photo © Trails for Illinois

How To Sell 200,000 Ice-Cream Cones: In Illinois, Hard Data Makes the Case for Trail Building

Posted 10/10/13 by Eric Oberg in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Illinois, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

The publication of "Making Trails Count" - a count and study of trail user numbers and spending patterns on six trails across Illinois - is now arming trail planners and advocates state wide with the hard data they need to make the case for why trail building means good things for communities and economies.

Trail rendering courtesy Michael Van Valkenburgh and Associates

EYE ON: Illinois' Bloomingdale Trail

Posted 10/09/13 by Laura Stark in | Tagged with Design Strategies, Featured Magazine Articles, Illinois, Local Organizing, Urban Pathways

At nearly 20 feet above four northwestern Chicago neighborhoods, the Bloomingdale Trail (a.k.a. The 606) will be a park in the sky. It's a lofty project to be created from an elevated rail line that once was referred to as "an overgrown linear jungle." Plans for the rail-trail include a dramatic facelift, featuring art plazas, entertainment venues, flowering trees, winding nature walks off the main trail, an astronomy observatory, and benches where trail users can rest and enjoy the views.