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Pere Marquette Rail-Trail

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Pere Marquette Rail-Trail
LocationClare, Isabella, and Midland Counties, Michigan
TrailheadsEast: Midland, Michigan
West: Loomis, Michigan
UseWalking, running, biking, rollerblading
DifficultyEasy
SurfaceAsphalt
Right of wayFormer CSX railroad

The Pere Marquette Rail-Trail (PMRT) is a rail trail in Michigan occupying an 28-mile (45 km) abandoned CSX railroad corridor in Midland County and Isabella County that was once part of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad. In 1874, the tracks stretched from Ludington to Flint, transporting supplies to the timber industry and lumber/timber to southern Michigan's mills.[1] It is a Michigan Rails to Trails Conservancy Hall of Fame trail.[2]

The trail is paved with asphalt for hiking and bicycling and is up to 14 feet (4.3 m) wide. The PMRT should not be confused with the Pere Marquette State Trail.[3]

History

The trail is named after the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad, named after Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement at Sault Ste. Marie. Père is the French word for father; ergo, Father Marquette.

The first portion of the trail opened in June 1993. This portion was almost wholly contained in the city of Midland, Michigan and started at The Tridge.

Future

The original plans for the rail trail called for extending it west to Ludington, Michigan where ferry service would provide access to Wisconsin.[4][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Isabella County Parks & Recreation: Pere Marquette Rail-Trail
  2. ^ "Pere Marquette Rail-Trail". Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  3. ^ The Morning Sun: May 25, 2007-x
  4. ^ Isabella County Parks & Recreation: News & Information
  5. ^ City of Clare, Michigan: Department of Parks & Recreation-Master Plan 2005-2009 page 21

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