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From Preserving Rail-Trails to Creati
Wisconsin
purchases a
piece of right-
of-way that
becomes the
Elroy-Sparta
State Trail
.
It’s widely
acknowledged
to be oldest in
America.
W
hen Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy
(RTC) opened its
doors in 1986,
there were 250
miles of known
rail-trails in
America. In just three decades, the move-
ment has grown to more than 22,000
miles of completed rail-trails and 8,000
miles of projects in progress.
But the full story of the rail-trail
movement did not begin in the 1980s
with the creation of RTC. That story
begins in the 19th century with the cre-
ation of the intercontinental railroad.
This connected rail system offered Americans
the first real freedom of mobility by linking
people and places across North America—
and serving as the backbone of transporta-
tion and commerce for more than 100 years.
Since the 1950’s, automobiles, trucks
and airplanes have eclipsed the railroads as
the primary modes of transportation. As a
YEARS
l
l
l
l
1963
1965 1968
1976
M
ay Theilgaard Watts (1893-1975) was a Chicago-
based writer and naturalist who dedicated her life
to connecting people to the outdoors—in a time of
increasing urbanization. In September 1963, Watts published
a letter in the
Chicago Tribune
imploring the city to build a
trail on the disused Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railway. “We are
human beings,” wrote Watts. “We need a footpath. The right-
of-way of the Aurora electric road lies waiting.”
Her letter inspired an outpouring of public support, and by
1967, the first trail signs had been posted. One of the first rail-
trail conversions in the U.S., the 61-mile Illinois Prairie Path
helped lay the blueprint for thousands to follow.
September 25
MAY THEILGAARDWATTS
publishes famous
Chicago Tribune
letter on trails.
October 2
National Trails
System Act
is
signed into law.
The Appalachian
and Pacific Crest
trails are the
first to receive
“scenic” status
under the act.
January 1
4R Act
(Railroad
Revitalization and
Regulatory Reform
Act) is signed into
law; 4R includes a
little-noticed section
creating a rail-trail
grant program.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Celebrates 30 Years
THOM CARROLL
COURTESY LOCAL MOTION
ERIC REISCHL PHOTOGRAPHY
COURTESY RTC
Pacific Crest Trail
ISABEL WASSON
rails
to
trails
u
spring/summer.16
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