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Focus Term: History Happened Here


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Landmark and Legacy: Nebraska’s Chief Standing Bear Trail
October 31, 2017

The 22.9-mile Chief Standing Bear Trail helps memorialize the 1877 walk of the Ponca Tribe back to their homeland, led by Chief Standing Bear and known as the Ponca Trail of Tears.

Blue Springs trailhead, Chief Standing Bear Trail, Nebraska | Photo by Don Rice
Blog
Louisiana’s Tammany Trace
August 15, 2017

Spanning 27 miles, the Tammany Trace is a Southern belle nestled in the pristine natural surroundings of New Orleans.

The trail winds through St. Tammany Parish towns and green spaces | Courtesy LouisianaNorthshore.com
Blog
Massachusetts’ Cape Cod Rail Trail
July 05, 2017

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.

Photo courtesy The Shared Experience | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Blog
Maryland and Washington, D.C.’s Capital Crescent Trail
June 12, 2017

Forming an emerald arc around western portion of the District of Columbia, the Capital Crescent Trail connects Washington to its Maryland suburbs.

View of Potomac River along Capital Crescent Trail | Photo by Milo Bateman
Blog
10 Trails Named After Influential Women
March 07, 2017

For Women’s History Month, we honor this visionary woman and others 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.

Sacagawea statue | Photo courtesy Charles Dawley | CC by 2.0
Blog
Honoring the Legacy of African-American Cycling Legend Major Taylor
February 15, 2017

In the late 1890s, an African-American dynamo exploded onto the bicycle racing scene at record-breaking speeds: Marshall “Major” Taylor.

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.
Blog
Rails-to-Trails Visionary and Conservancy Co-Founder David Burwell Passes Away
February 04, 2017

On the anniversary of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s (RTC’s) founding, rail-trail visionary and co-founder David Burwell passed away on Feb. 1, 2017, after a hard-fought battle with leukemia.

David Burwell with his wife Irene and mother Barbara in 2002 | Photo courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Blog
How May T. Watts Inspired the Illinois Prairie Path and U.S. Rail-Trail Movement
March 13, 2016

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 Illinois Prairie Path,

Illinois Prairie Path | Trail photo courtesy David Wilson | CC by 2.0 | Photo of Watts by Isabel Wasson
Blog
30 Years: Birth and Evolution of the American Rail-Trail Movement
March 09, 2016

In 2016, RTC celebrated its 30th anniversary and the birth and evolution of the American Rail-Trail Movement.

Montour Trail in Pennsylvania | Photo courtesy Jim Brown
Blog
10 Rail-Trails That Helped Build the Movement
February 10, 2016

In honor of RTC’s 30th anniversary, here are 10 game-changers of the rail-trail movement.

The High Line in New York City | Photo by Adrian Cabrero