The Cardinal Greenway (TCG) is a multi-use recreational network combining a

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

and an on-street route that together cross and five counties — in east central

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. The greenway, which was designated a

National Recreation Trail The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

in June 2003 and in 2018 was named to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's "Rail Trail Hall of Fame." uses the former

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

railroad track Railway track ( and International Union of Railways, UIC terminology) or railroad track (), also known as permanent way () or "P way" ( and English in the Commonwealth of Nations#Indian subcontinent, Indian English), is the structure on a Ra ...

between

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

and Marion. It is named after the ''Cardinal'', the last regular passenger train service on the (Chicago-Cincinnati-Washington) route. Currently it is Indiana's longest rail trail project. The route, which is dedicated to pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian users, has nine bridges and passes the historic Wysor Street Depot. It also follows the

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, Whitewater and Mississinewa Rivers. Marked in half-mile increments, the TGC has more than 20 trail heads, most with restrooms, parking areas, and interpretive markers. The system hosts annual events including the National Trails Day (June/Running), Cardinal Greenways Bike Fest (July/biking), Walk Indiana (September/walking), and BikeTOURberfest (October/bicycle). The Cardinal Greenway is part of the Northern Route of the

American Discovery Trail The American Discovery Trail is a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The coastal tr ...

Ohio State Line to Marion, Indiana
and connects to the White River Greenway near downtown Muncie. A current expansion is underway to construct the White River Greenway trail in downtown Muncie. In Richmond, the trail connects to the Whitewater Gorge Trail and Gennett Walk of Fame in the Whitewater Gorge Park.

Background

In 1993, volunteers organized an investigative meeting to study purchasing an abandoned rail line for a rails-to-trails conversion project. Removal of the steel rails began in late 1992. Work started in Marion and was completed from there through Richmond by June 1993. Cardinal Greenway, Inc., a not-for-profit, was formed, purchasing of the former railroad corridor from

CSX Corporation CSX Corporation is an American holding company focused on rail transportation and real estate in North America, among other industries. The company was established in 1980 as part of the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries merge ...

in that same year (1993). American Trails Cardinal Greenwa
article
/ref>

History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

Cardinal Greenwa

/ref> In 1996 a Master Plan was completed and final drawings were submitted to Indiana Department of Transportation, INDOT.

Groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, turf-cutting, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such cer ...

took place in September 1997, marking the start of ''Phase 1'', a Muncie section from the Wysor Street Depot to County Road 534 East. The Jonesboro-Marion section and the Richmond section were constructed sometime before 2003. The Muncie-Gaston section was constructed around 2003. In 2003, the Cardinal Greenway was designated a

Databas
entry
/ref> The Losantville-Mt. Pleasant section was opened in a ribbon-cutting ceremony held in Losantville on April 19, 2007. Governor

Mitch Daniels Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. (born April 7, 1949) is an American Academic administration, academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician who served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. A Republican Party (United ...

helped cut the ribbon.U.S. DOI NPS NCRC ''Conservation Successes'
July 2007
(bottom of page 1, top of page 2) In 2008 the state governor announced grants which include work on the Richmond-to-Losantville section including the improvement of six bridges and the Sweetser Switch Trail Connector, linking the two trails along a defunct railroad corridor. The trail is managed b
Cardinal Greenway, Inc.
formerly known as The company is organized under federal tax regulations as a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

not-for-profit organization.

Route

:''See:'
Cardinal Greenway Map
Cardinal Greenways is a private, not-for-profit organization that encompasses the Cardinal Greenway, White River Greenway, Historic Wysor Street Depot and Cardinal Equestrian Trail. The Cardinal Greenway is the longest rail-trail in Indiana and spans 62 miles from Marion through Muncie to Richmond in East Central Indiana. The trail starts in Richmond, travels through Wayne, Randolph,

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, and Grant counties, and ends in the town of Converse at the border between Grant and Miami Counties. The trail is asphalt paved the entire way.Cardinal Greenway, Inc.
homepage

Richmond Section

The trail begins with a section on the north side of

. This is near the Whitewater River. This is the curviest segment of the former railroad corridor. The Cardinal Greenway then travels into the heart of Muncie, bisecting with Wysor Street Depot in the middle. Just to the north of the depot the Cardinal Greenway intersects the White River Greenway. The trail continues out of Muncie to Gaston. It is about from the depot to the trailhead in Gaston.

Gaston-Jonesboro Gap

An section of the former rail corridor, going from Gaston to Jonesboro and running through Fowlerton, is owned by private land owners. Cardinal Greenways, Inc. states that a route “will be chosen using public roads to connect the two sections of Cardinal Greenway.”Cardinal Greenway, Inc
Trail History
/ref>
IndianaTrails.org
states that “ e county road route can be followed using Dan Henry-style pavement markers.”

(Jonesboro-) Marion Section

This section of the route is in length.IndianaTrails.org
Cardinal Greenway – Marion
The trail resumes in Jonesboro at East 10th Street. From there it travels along the Mississinewa River until it crosses US-35/IN-22. By East 4th Street in Jonesboro, there is a pedestrian bridge over the Mississinewa to the Eugene “Beaner” Linn Park, a park in Gas City. After crossing US-35/IN-22, the trail goes on into Marion, going by Hogin Park, through the short tunnel under South D Street, under “the bypass” (IN-9), and ending at South Miller Avenue.

Beyond Marion

Plans were announced on October 16, 2007, to expand the Cardinal Greenway west to the Sweetser Switch TrailSweetser Switch Trail
in Sweetser, and perhaps eventually to Converse in Miami County. The trail is now (2022) joined to both Sweetser Switch and Converse Junction trail, ending in downtown Converse.

References

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