1. Historic Trails - NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park ... · Park Service Long Distance Trails Office. Information on accessibility and travel conditions along the cross-country

Ice Age Floods Study of Alternatives Appendix F—Similar Projects

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a p p e n d i x f

SIMILAR PROJECTS

1. Historic Trails

Oregon National Historic TrailThe general route of this trail stretches from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City,Oregon. This 2,170-mile-long trail passes through Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska,Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon. As the harbinger of America’s westward expansion, theOregon Trail was the pathway to the Pacific for fur traders, gold seekers, missionaries,and emigrants. Beginning in 1841 and continuing for more than 20 years, an estimated300,000 emigrants followed this route from Missouri to Oregon on a trip that took fivemonths to complete.

The National Park Service ComprehensiveManagement and Use Plan describes theofficial route and lists 235 historic sitesand seven cross-country segments. It alsomakes recommendations for resourceprotection, trail management, andmarkers. Many of the sites and segmentsare on public land and are open tovisitors. Others are located on privatelands. The approximate route can still befollowed by automobile, andopportunities are available to travel byfoot, horse, or mountain bike in manyplaces. Information on trail routes and

history is available from the NationalPark Service Long Distance Trails Office.Information on accessibility and travelconditions along the cross-countrysegments is best obtained from localoffices of the Bureau of Land Managementor the U.S. Forest Service.

Lewis and Clark National HistoricTrailIn 1804, Meriwether Lewis and WilliamClark were sent out by President ThomasJefferson to find a transportation linkbetween the Louisiana Territory and the

Appendix F—Similar Projects

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“Oregon Country.” In addition, Lewisand Clark were to acquire knowledge ofthe vast and unexplored west of thenation as they covered more than 8,000miles in two years. As they journeyedfrom the Mississippi to the PacificOcean, they meticulously recordedobservations of the characteristics,inhabitants, and resources of the countrythrough which they passed. Theirjourney lit the imagination of theAmerican people about this country andits destiny. Its scope and achievementshave made the Expedition one of themost dramatic and significant episodesin the history of the United States.

Today it is possible to retrace portionsof this historic route by following theLewis and Clark National Historic Trail,

which was Congressionally designatedas the first Historic Trail in 1978. Thewater route taken by the Expedition canbe retraced by boat, and some parts ofthe overland route have been or arebeing developed for travel by horseback,foot, and bicycle. Motor routes thatapproximately follow the route of thehistoric expedition are uniformlymarked and connect a series ofmemorials, museums, visitor centers,interpretive exhibits, and historic sitesalong the trail. The National ParkService administrates the trail incooperation with federal, state, andlocal agencies, nonprofit organizations,and private landowners. The Lewis andClark National Historic Trail wasrecognized in 1999 as one of twelveNational Millennium Trails.


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2. Scenic Trails

Ice Age National Scenic TrailThe effects of the advancing and retreating glaciers of the last Ice Age created anunmistakable legacy in the State of Wisconsin. Thousands of formations left on theglacial landscape give the area its remarkable beauty and diversity.

In the 1950s, a 1,000-mile-long trail wasfirst envisioned generally to follow theterminal moraines of the most recentglaciation and to connect Ice Ageformations. In order to achieve this, anine-unit Ice Age National ScientificReserve was created in 1971. In 1980Congress recognized the nationalsignificance of the trail by designating ita National Scenic Trail. The NationalPark Service administers the trail incooperation with the WisconsinDepartment of Natural Resources and theIce Age Park and Trail Foundation. Muchof the work to develop and maintain thetrail has come from volunteers.

As of 1998, 227 miles of the trail havebeen certified by the NPS as part of theIce Age National Scenic Trail. Anadditional 250 miles of completed trailsegments are also open for public useand enjoyment for auto tours, hiking,cross-country, and nature walks.

Natchez Trace National Scenic TrailThe Natchez Trace National Scenic Trailis 694 miles in length and located inAlabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.The Trail Segments include severalexisting portions of the historic NatchezTrace that lie within the boundaries ofthe Natchez Trace Parkway. Completedsections of this trail are found alongsidethe Natchez Trace Parkway near RockySprings and Jackson, Mississippi, andNashville, Tennessee. The trail is also aunit of the National Trails System andwas established March 28, 1983. Public-use opportunitities consist of auto tours,guided tours, biking, hiking, and naturewalks.

Potomac Heritage National ScenicTrailThe designation of a Potomac HeritageNational Scenic Trail corridor, enactedand signed in 1983 as an amendment tothe National Trails System Act, is being


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used by communities in Virginia,Maryland, the District of Columbia, andPennsylvania to develop and makeconnections among trails, historic sites,and a range of recreational andeducational opportunities. Three trailsare currently recognized as “official”segments of the Potomac HeritageNational Scenic Trail: the 184.5-mile C& O Canal Towpath, managed byChesapeake & Ohio Canal NationalHistorical Park; the 17-mile MountVernon Trail, managed by GeorgeWashington Memorial Parkway; and the75-mile Laurel Highlands Trail, managed

by Laurel Ridge State Park, PennsylvaniaDepartment of Conservation and NaturalResources.

Existing trails are complemented bymany local and regional trails, on landand water, with many more in the earlystages of development. Localgovernments and citizen groups areusing the corridor designation (1) tosupport a variety of trail projects, (2) toincrease educational, conservation, anddevelopment opportunities, and (3) torealize benefits from the extensivegrowth in ecotourism.


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3. National Heritage Trail

New Jersey Coastal Heritage TrailThe New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail project was conceived and designed torecognize the importance of New Jersey’s coastal area in our nation’s history. The trail’sproject area stretches more than 275 miles along the New Jersey coast. The trail’sauthorizing legislation directed the NPS, in cooperation with the State of New Jersey,other Federal agencies, local governments, and private entities, to inventory siteswithin the project area and to prepare a plan for protecting and interpreting those sites.

The heritage of the New Jersey coastalarea is explored through interpretation offive interrelated themes—maritimehistory, coastal communities, relaxationand inspiration, coastal habitats, andwildlife migration. Each theme is basedupon aspects of the area’s heritage, andtogether they illustrate the interaction ofnatural and cultural influences and thecoastal environment.

The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trailproject is being developed andimplemented through the cooperativeefforts of the Federal government, theState of New Jersey, county and citygovernments, nonprofit organizations,and individual site managers. The NPS isthe Federal government’s lead agency onthis project. Although primarily avehicular route along public roads, theTrail connects coastal areas with theirlocal recreational opportunities into anoverall trail package.


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4. National Heritage Corridors

Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage CorridorThe Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor was created in 1984 whenCongress enacted legislation that recognized the area’s unique contributions to thenation’s development. Public Law 98-398 established a corridor defined by the Illinoisand Michigan Canal from Chicago to LaSalle, Illinois. It also established the NationalHeritage Corridor Commission to be made up of 19 members. They include theDirector of the NPS, three representatives of state and local governments, fivemembers nominated to represent the interests of history/archaeology/recreation/conservation, five members nominated to represent the interests of business/industry,one member of the county board representing each county, and one member of theboard of a forest preserve district.

Formed by business and communityleaders from northeastern Illinois topromote Federal designation of theIllinois and Michigan Canal NationalHeritage Corridor, the Canal CorridorAssociation is a nonprofit organizationmanaged by a volunteer board ofbusiness, industry and communityleaders, and a professional staff. TheAssociation works toward the economicrevitalization of the Illinois & MichiganCanal National Heritage Corridor bydrawing on the shared past of a regionfounded on the nineteenth-century I &M Canal, by forging public and privatepartnerships, and by offering technicalassistance in historic preservation, land

conservation, and economicdevelopment.

Blackstone River Valley NationalHeritage CorridorThe Blackstone River Valley illustrates amajor era of America’s past: the Age ofIndustry. The communities along thebanks of this river were the first toexperience the change brought about bythe revolutionary way of usingwaterpower and labor in America. Theyevolved from an isolated agrarian societyto industrialized interdependentcommunities. Evidence of the waypeople lived during this turning point inhistory can be seen in the thousands of


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structures and landscapes still found inthe area, such as mill villages, roads,trails, dams, mill ponds, agricultural andnatural environments, and ethnictraditions in neighborhoods, languagesand foods.

The Blackstone River Valley NationalHeritage Corridor is a region of nearly400,000 acres located in centralMassachusetts and northern RhodeIsland. The National Corridor wasdesignated by an Act of Congress in1986 to preserve and interpret theunique and significant value of theBlackstone Valley. It includes cities,towns, villages and almost one millionpeople. The Federal government doesnot own or manage any of the land orresources in the corridor. Instead, theNational Park Service, two stategovernments, dozens of localmunicipalities, businesses, nonprofithistorical and environmentalorganizations, educational institutions,private citizens, and a unifyingCommission work together inpartnerships to protect the Valley’sspecial identity and prepare for its future.

The Corridor can be seen by bicycle,watercraft, train, automobile, and foot.

Delaware and Lehigh NationalHeritage CorridorThe Lehigh Navigation System and theDelaware Canal, constructed from 1817to 1845, opened the region and itsresources to development, brought greatwealth, spurred industrial innovations,and led to the founding and growth oftoday’s canal towns. It was America’s lastand longest operated towpath canal, andit is now the most fully intact andaccessible towpath canal in the nation.The canals are the threads that connectthe rich historic, cultural, andrecreational resources of the Corridor.

The Delaware and Lehigh Canal NationalHeritage Corridor is a 150-mile-longregion in eastern Pennsylvania thatfollows the historic routes of theDelaware Canal and the LehighNavigation System. Within the corridorare scenic rivers, historic canals andtowns, mountains, green valleys, naturalareas, recreation, remnants of earlyindustries, distinctive religious heritage,


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and active cultural arts. Designated byCongress in 1988, this Heritage Corridoris now the subject of an intensive,cooperative effort by citizens to plan forconservation of the valley’s heritage andthe enhancement of the region’s qualityof life. Many partnership organizationsand agencies, at local, state, and federallevels, act to collaborate for theCorridor’s future. There are many waysto enjoy the Corridor, including hiking,auto tours, and boating. The entireDelaware Canal Towpath and 32 miles ofthe Lehigh Towpath are NationalRecreation Trails.

Quinebaug and Shetucket RiversValley National Heritage CorridorQuinebaug and Shetucket Rivers ValleyNational Heritage Corridor encompassesabout 850-square-miles in thenortheastern corner of Connecticut.

Stretching from Norwich north to theMassachusetts border and from Coventryeast to Rhode Island. It has been called“the last green valley” in the Boston-to-Washington megalopolis. Close toHartford, Providence, and Worcester butfar enough away to avoid the urbansprawl of recent years, this region remainspredominately rural. Roadways windingthrough rolling hills link the region’smany small towns, villages, farmlands,and forests. Old mills dot the lowlandsalong the Quinebaug and Shetucket riversand their tributaries.

In the past 50 years, many changes havecome to this area. Many of the farmsand factories have been put to new uses,such as housing, antique and craftshops, recreation, and high-techindustry. Amid these economic changes,this region has retained its fundamental

attributes of lush woodlands, cleanstreams, rivers, ponds, and lakes;authentic sites representing distinctperiods of American history; andopportunities for individuals andfamilies to enjoy a rural, small-townlifestyle.

Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers ValleyNational Heritage Corridor is a specialkind of park in that it embraces 25towns with numerous villages and atotal population of about 250,000. Thefederal government does not own ormanage any of the land as it does intraditional national parks. Instead,citizens, businesses, nonprofit culturaland environmental organizations, localand state governments, and the NationalPark Service are working together topreserve the region’s cultural historyand to perpetuate its natural heritage.


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5. National Scenic Area

Columbia Gorge National Scenic AreaThe Columbia River Gorge is a spectacular river canyon cutting through the volcanicrock of the Cascade Mountain Range. As the only sea-level river flowing through theCascades, the Columbia is both a natural wonder and an important transportationcorridor. Recognizing this interest, Congress passed an act creating the 292,000-acreColumbia Gorge National Scenic Area, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.There are many recreational opportunities in CGNSA, including windsurfing, boating,hiking, auto tours, biking, and other activities.

Along with other interpretive themes, the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area doesprovide some interpretation of the Ice Age Floods story.

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6. National Historic Parks

Klondike Gold Rush National Historic ParkThere are two units of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park: one inSeattle, Washington, and one in Skagway, Alaska. The Seattle Unit of the KlondikeGold Rush National Historical Park commemorates the city’s role as the mostimportant staging area for the gold rush of the 1890s.

In Skagway, Klondike Gold RushNational Historical Park lies in one ofthe world’s most spectacular geographicareas, characterized by an almost endlessarray of islands, mountains, glaciers,rivers, lakes, and forests. Fortunately,within this unspoiled geographic setting,the United States and Canada have beenable to preserve a wealth of historicstructures and artifacts. Visitors,particularly those that hike the ChilkootTrail, are likely to see these last tangiblereminders of the gold rush days:telephone wire and poles, boots,bedsprings, horseshoes, and rustycookware, to name a few. The park inSkagway preserves a dozen gold rush–erabuildings, forming the heart of thehistoric district. The park and town arepopular summer destinations for roadand cruise ship passengers. The contrastbetween the scenic grandeur and thehumble remains of the stampeders’

possessions and temporary structures iswhat helps to make a visit to the park anunforgettable experience.

Nez Perce National Historic ParkThere are 38 separate sites of the NezPerce National Historic Park scatteredacross the states of Idaho, Oregon,Washington, and Montana. They havebeen designated to commemorate thelegends and history of the Nez Percepeople and their interaction withexplorers, fur traders, missionaries,soldiers, settlers, gold miners, loggers,and farmers who moved through or intothe area.

The areas encompassing these sitesdisplay the great diversity of theAmerican West—topography, rainfall,vegetation, and scenery—ranging fromthe semiarid regions of Washington, tothe lush high mountain meadows of


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Idaho and Oregon, to the prairies ofMontana. As you travel from site to site,one gradually senses the importance ofthe land in contributing to the rich anddiverse cultural history of the Nez Percepeople.

Touring this park is unlike traveling inmost parks, for this one is as much anidea as it is actual physical property. Insome cases the idea is the stronger force,for the physical remains of the past haveeither disappeared or the originalappearance has been greatly altered.


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7. National Reserves

Ice Age National Scientific ReserveSome of the effects of the most recent advance of the continental ice sheet, theWisconsin Stage, are dramatically evident in the state of Wisconsin. Striking evidenceis visible in drumlins, kames, kettles, glacial lakes, moraines, and eskers scatteredthroughout the landscape. The Ice Age National Scientific Reserve was created topreserve and protect this legacy of the last glacial stage.

The Ice Age National Scientific Reserve is composed of nine units containing resourcessignificantly characteristic of the continental glaciation in Wisconsin. Collectivelythese units are approximately 32,500 acres in size and are connected by the 227-milelong Ice Age National Scenic Trail. As authorized by Congress, management of theReserve is a cooperative venture of federal, state, and local governments to preserveand interpret these resources.


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8. Other

The Seaway TrailThe New York State Seaway Trail is a 454-mile scenic route that runs parallel to LakeErie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River. The Trail passesthrough 10 counties and connects cities, villages, fishing ports, state parks, museums,and 42 historic sites. The Trail is noted for its mixed usage by automobile, bicycle,bus, motorcoach, and RVs. The Seaway Trail was selected as a National Scenic Bywayby the U.S. Department of Transportation due to its unique landscape, which has beensculpted by the forces of nature and has great historical interest.

The Trail is managed and marketed bySeaway Trail, Inc., a private corporationthat was created in 1978 “to promote theTrail as a tourist destination and encourageregional economic development throughtourism (emphasis added).”

It is interesting to note that the purposeof the Trail is tied directly to tourism andeconomic development, recognizing theeconomic benefits of tourism.

Documents

1. Historic Trails - NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park ... · Park Service Long Distance Trails Office. Information on accessibility and travel conditions along the cross-country