What Are Trails and Greenways?
Greenways are corridors of protected open
space managed for conservation and recreation purposes. Greenways often follow
natural land or water features, and link nature reserves, parks, cultural
features and historic sites with each other and with populated areas. Greenways
can be publicly or privately owned, and some are the result of public/private
partnerships. Trails are paths used for walking, bicycling, horseback riding or
other forms of recreation or transportation. Some greenways include trails,
while others do not. Some appeal to people, while others attract wildlife. From
the hills of inland America to the beaches and barrier islands of the coast,
greenways provide a vast network linking America's special places.
How Do Trails and Greenways Preserve Our
History and Culture?
The migration and trading routes of Native
Americans. The epic path drawn by Lewis and Clark. The dusty trails followed by
the riders of the Pony Express. The northward treks made by African Americans
escaping the bonds of slavery. These journeys all define the cultural identity
of America; and they all happened on trails.
Trails and greenways provide a window into
our history and culture by connecting people to the past. They often link,
provide access to, and incorporate historic features, such as battlefields,
bridges, historic buildings and canals. The preservation of these places lets us
learn about and understand the history of our continent. They are an important
part of preserving the past for future generations.
"If the greenway movement can help us
get back a bit of honest natural beauty and our heritage of historic place, we
shall owe it much." - Charles E. Little, author of Greenways for America
Remembering Historic Events
Trails and greenways can preserve
historically important places. They also provide an opportunity to physically
experience places where historical events occurred.
* Thousands of people travel along the
Minuteman Bikeway, a route used by British soldiers during the Revolutionary war
and by Paul Revere during his historic ride to warn Americans that the British
were about to attack.
* The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
serves as a memorial to thousands of Cherokee Indians forced from their homes
and moved west to Oklahoma in the name of progress and protection for the United
States. Thousands of Native Americans died during this journey.
* Under the orders of President Thomas
Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out in 1804 to find a
transportation route between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean. The
Katy Trail State Park in Missouri, a 185-mile rail-trail, follows part of the
famous Lewis and Clark expedition path.
Connecting People to Historic Places
Trails provide walkable access to historic
areas, allowing people to enjoy the outdoors while visiting historic and
culturally rich places.
* Philadelphians use the Schuylkill River
Trail to walk or bike to the Valley Forge National Historic Park, which served
as the six-month encampment for the first Continental Army of the United States
during the treacherous winter of 1777-78.
* In Roanoke, Virginia, a rail-trail is
currently being constructed that will link the Hanging Rock Battlefield Civil
War site with the City of Salem.
* The Old Savannah-Tybee Railroad Historic
& Scenic Multipurpose Trail travels in and around Savannah, Georgia, a city
steeped in Revolutionary and Civil War history. Over 1,000 homes and other
buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places can be visited in
Savannah.
"Like the railroads that brought us
together in the 19th century, these trails will bring us together in the 20th
and 21st centuries." - Hillary Rodham Clinton at the launch of the National
Millennium Trails Program.
Saving Historic Transportation Corridors
Trails and greenways preserve historic
transportation corridors across the country. Until railroads reached the
western-most states, anyone heading to Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon,
Washington, and Idaho used the Oregon Trail. The 2,000-mile trail marks the
arduous route followed by thousands of pioneers. It is estimated that 1 in 10
people died while travelling this route.
Transportation corridors such as canals and
railroads are reminders of prosperity and progress. Almost 5,000 miles of canals
were built during the 18th and 19th centuries in the United States. They
provided essential methods of transporting goods to and from towns during the
industrial revolution. Today, people bicycle, walk or jog along many of these
historic transportation systems. For example, the Illinois and Michigan Canal
links the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River, providing what was an
extraordinarily valuable commercial route for Chicago and other towns and cities
along the way. Visitors can now view the historic locks, several museums, and
historic buildings along the route.
For more than 100 years the railroad was the
backbone of American travel and was integral to development in thousands of
communities. In the 1920s, the national rail system consisted of nearly 300,000
miles. Less than half of that remains today. Saving unused rail corridors and
converting them to trails preserves a piece of our past. More than 10,000 miles
of former rail lines have been preserved and converted to trails.
Equestrians enjoy the California countryside
along the historic Bizz Johnson Trail. (Photo: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy)
* The Bizz Johnson Trail guides travelers
through California's logging country along the railroad corridor used by the Red
River Lumber Company, one of the world's largest lumber companies during the
early 1900s.
* The 33-mile Elroy-Sparta Rail-Trail in
Wisconsin is one of the oldest rail-trails in the United States. The trail
includes three long tunnels that range from one-quarter to three-quarters of a
mile in length.
Preserving Important Places and Structures
Historic sites and structures are often
incorporated into trails and greenways, preserving these important places and
providing access to them.
* The city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
created the six-mile Bethabara Trail Greenway to attract visitors and to enhance
the historic aspects of the Moravian village that marks the founding of the
city.
* Historic sites such as the Snoqualmie Pass
Tunnel along the Iron Horse Trail in Washington preserve important engineering
structures. This 2.3-mile railroad tunnel was blasted out of solid rock in the
early 1900s.
* The C&O Canal takes visitors through
the 3,118-foot Paw Paw Tunnel and by historic buildings, such as the Great Falls
Tavern, which was originally built in the 1800s as the locktender's house.
* Fort Morgan, Colorado converted a highway
bridge across the South Platte River to a pedestrian walkway and restored the
antique light fixtures. The bridge is an integral part of the city's park
system.
* The Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis,
Minnesota is a National Civic Engineering Landmark. Once used by railroads to
transport agricultural products, the 1883 bridge is an essential part of the
Minneapolis recreational trail system used by bicyclists, pedestrians and
trolley riders.
Providing Economic Benefits to Communities
People are drawn to natural areas for
recreation and exercise. Sites with cultural or historic value entice more
visitors to stay longer. According to a National Park Service study on the
economic impact of trails, the total annual revenue from trail-related
expenditures for three trails exceeded $1.2 million.1 The study included Iowa's
Heritage Trail, named one of "10 Historic Rail-Trails" by
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and the National Trust for Historic Preservation in
October 1998.
Trails and greenways provide a wealth of
opportunities for people to learn about the history of places and people. By
preserving transportation corridors and historic sites Americans give a valuable
gift to future generations to learn about and cherish our culture.
Resources
If you are interested in learning more about
the connection between trails and greenways and historic preservation, contact
the following organizations or your state's historic preservation officer (SHPO).
A list of SHPOs can be found on the Clearinghouse Web site at
www.trailsandgreenways.org.
National Trust for Historic Preservation
1785 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
1-800-944-6847
www.nationaltrust.org
National Park Service
Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance
Program
1849 C Street, NW
Mail Stop 3606
Washington, DC 20240-0001
www.nps.org
Endnotes
1 The Impacts of Rail-Trails, A Study of
Users and Nearby Property Owners from Three Trails, National Park Service,
Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, 1992.
About the Clearinghouse: The Trails and
Greenways Clearinghouse provides technical assistance, information resources and
referrals to trail and greenway advocates and developers across the nation.
Services are available to individuals, government agencies, communities,
grassroots organizations and anyone else who is seeking to create or manage
trails and greenways. The Clearinghouse is a joint project of Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy and The Conservation Fund's American Greenways Program.
Trails and Greenways Clearinghouse n 1100
17th Street, NW, 10th Floor n Washington, DC 20036
Toll free: 1-877-GRNWAYS n E-mail: greenways@transact.org
n Web site: www.trailsandgreenways.org