Kansas Trail News for April 13, 2010 from Sunflower Recreational Trails:
Pony Express National Historic Trail
This April is the 140th anniversary of the opening of the Pony Express. The first rider left St. Joseph on April 3, 1860. The Pony Express only lasted until October 1861 when the transcontinental telegraph began operation. The Pony Express National Historic Trail goes through Marysville where it links up with the Blue River Rail-Trail (Homestead Trail).
Sedan City Lakes Trail
The current issue of the Kansas Trails Council newsletter (1st Quarter 2010) describes a 2.2-mile trail between the Sedan City Lake and the New Sedan City Lake. Over 800 acres of Cross Timber and tallgrass prairie surrounds the two lakes. The trail utilizes a closed road which is now mostly grass with a little gravel here and there. There are two bridges and a couple of steep hills. Hikers and mountain bikers regularly use this trail which is located in the scenic Chautauqua Hills east of Winfield.
SRT Annual Meeting At Kansas Sampler
Sunflower Recreational Trails cordially invites all trails advocates and supporters to attend its Annual Meeting at Leavenworth on Sunday May 2 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Items of discussion include changing the organization’s name. SRT will also have a booth at the Kansas Sampler on Saturday and Sunday. The meeting will be held at the Santa Fe Depot Dinner @ Broadway and Shawnee (west of downtown).
Kanza Receives Grants
Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy has received a $25,000 grant from the Tawani Foundation to build the Flint Hills Nature Trail from Ottawa to Pomona (town). The funds will be used to install a crushed limestone surface and rail and deck bridges.. The trail segment passes north of the Chippewa Hills and Jesse James Cave. Once the section is complete (and Ottawa completes its segment), there will be a continuous stretch between Osawatomie and Pomona for the enjoyment of hikers, bikers and equestrians. It is expected that construction will commence this summer.
Kanza also received $3,000 from the National Park Service to build a bridge on the Landon Nature Trail south of the Clinton Wildlife Area. Construction is slated for this spring. Finally, $12,000 in matches for these grants were received from a Kansas trust.
National Trails Day
June 5 is National Trails Day sponsored by the American Hiking Society. Events will be held in Leawood, Merriam, Olathe and KCK. For more information, go to http://www.americanhiking.org/NTDSearchResult.aspx?sId=17.
If you have any events, let the AHS and us know.
National Rail-Trail Developers
A nonprofit “company” called Iron Horse Preservation is helping agencies and nonprofit organizations turn out-of-service rail lines into rail-trails. The company acquires the tracks and ties and sells them for the salvage value or donates them to historic excursion railroads. Some of the money received is then used to develop the corridor into a rail-trail. To learn more about how this Reno, Nevada company can help, go to www.ironhorsepreservation.org.
Kansas Trail News is published monthly by Clark H. Coan, Public Information Specialist for Sunflower Recreational Trails, P.O. Box 44-2043, Lawrence, KS 66044, 785-842-3458. Reprinted with permission. If you have any trail news you’d like to share, please contact us.Post tags: Kansas Trail News
