Posted on Sep 4, 2022
Missouri communities hope Rock Island Trail can bring fresh faces and business to rural towns
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Gov. Mike Parson proposed a $69 million investment to convert 78 additional miles of the Rock Island corridor into trail, but his plan got cut by the Senate. Still, communities along the trail are forging ahead despite the absence of legislative support.
WINDSOR — Kim Henderson tidies up four modest log cabins tucked a few blocks behind Main Street in this small town 90 minutes southeast of Kansas City.
“I’ve told people so many times — and I still mean it — I did the cabins more for Windsor than I did for myself,” Henderson said.
Windsor, with a population of about 2,900, is where the Katy Trail and the 47 miles of existing Rock Island Trail meet. Both are two former railroad corridors. One is now a world-famous outdoor recreation attraction. The other is only one-fourth completed.
Henderson, now a small business owner, has lived in Windsor for more than 30 years. She’s seen the benefits the Katy Trail has delivered to her community.
WINDSOR — Kim Henderson tidies up four modest log cabins tucked a few blocks behind Main Street in this small town 90 minutes southeast of Kansas City.
“I’ve told people so many times — and I still mean it — I did the cabins more for Windsor than I did for myself,” Henderson said.
Windsor, with a population of about 2,900, is where the Katy Trail and the 47 miles of existing Rock Island Trail meet. Both are two former railroad corridors. One is now a world-famous outdoor recreation attraction. The other is only one-fourth completed.
Henderson, now a small business owner, has lived in Windsor for more than 30 years. She’s seen the benefits the Katy Trail has delivered to her community.
Missouri communities hope Rock Island Trail can bring fresh faces and business to rural towns
Posted from kcur.org
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The existing Rock Island Trail meets a paved road behind the Windsor City Park and stops. Across the road is a former railroad corridor so overgrown with brush and weeds you can barely see past the first dozen feet.
Henderson is passionate that the trail is the next chapter for Rock Island towns. Trains haven’t come through for 40 years, and without access to the interstate, reusing the corridor in this way is Windsor’s best bet.
“We’re not going to have big industry again, so small towns have to think outside the box,” Henderson said.
Henderson and other trail advocates are adamant that a trail improves quality of life not only for travelers but also for residents of the small towns they bisect. Henderson can attest to the demand for lodging and thinks the intersecting trail would attract more amenities to Windsor.
“I mean it’s just a huge opportunity because we are the crossroads,” Henderson said.
Henderson’s advocacy for the trails led her to become vice president of the Missouri Rock Island Trail group. She said small towns can’t go extinct because they are “where family and friends come back to.”
After seeing the success of the Katy Trail firsthand, Henderson hopes there is more to come.
Jana Rose Schleis is a M.A. student at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. She is studying investigative journalism and government reporting."
..."The existing Rock Island Trail meets a paved road behind the Windsor City Park and stops. Across the road is a former railroad corridor so overgrown with brush and weeds you can barely see past the first dozen feet.
Henderson is passionate that the trail is the next chapter for Rock Island towns. Trains haven’t come through for 40 years, and without access to the interstate, reusing the corridor in this way is Windsor’s best bet.
“We’re not going to have big industry again, so small towns have to think outside the box,” Henderson said.
Henderson and other trail advocates are adamant that a trail improves quality of life not only for travelers but also for residents of the small towns they bisect. Henderson can attest to the demand for lodging and thinks the intersecting trail would attract more amenities to Windsor.
“I mean it’s just a huge opportunity because we are the crossroads,” Henderson said.
Henderson’s advocacy for the trails led her to become vice president of the Missouri Rock Island Trail group. She said small towns can’t go extinct because they are “where family and friends come back to.”
After seeing the success of the Katy Trail firsthand, Henderson hopes there is more to come.
Jana Rose Schleis is a M.A. student at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. She is studying investigative journalism and government reporting."
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Here in the beautiful Black Hills we have the Mickelson Trail, an old rail track.
Completed in September 1998, the trail is 109 miles long and contains more than 100 converted railroad bridges and four rock tunnels.
It starts in Deadwood and ends at Edgemont, passing through such cool places as Rochford, Hill City, and Custer.
A great way to see the Hills.
Completed in September 1998, the trail is 109 miles long and contains more than 100 converted railroad bridges and four rock tunnels.
It starts in Deadwood and ends at Edgemont, passing through such cool places as Rochford, Hill City, and Custer.
A great way to see the Hills.
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