Old Abe State Trail is a paved multi-use

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 ...

in Chippewa County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, USA. The name commemorates

Old Abe Old Abe (May 27, 1861 – March 26, 1881) was a bald eagle who was the mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the American Civil War. Later, his image was adopted as the eagle appearing on a globe in Case Corporation's ...

, a

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...

that was captured in 1861 by Ahgamahwegezhig, a Native American man, near the South Fork of the Flambeau River. At Jim Falls, which is on the trail, he sold the eagle to tavern keeper Daniel McCann, who in turn sold it to soldiers of the

8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 8th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a United States Volunteers, volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The 8th Wisconsin's military mascot was Old Abe, a bald eagle that accompanied the regim ...

became their mascot, who accompanied them during many battles of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

behind the

hydroelectric dam Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

in Jim Falls is named "Old Abe Lake", and a 10½ foot statue of Old Abe has been erected near the dam. The trail presently runs from the outskirts of

Chippewa Falls Chippewa Falls () is a city located on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,731 in the 2020 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the county seat of Chippewa County. The city's name orig ...

Cornell Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson White in 1865. Since ...

, following an abandoned railroad line on the undeveloped shoreline of the Chippewa River for most of its route. The trail also provides access between

Lake Wissota State Park Lake Wissota State Park is a Wisconsin state park near the town of Chippewa Falls. The park is situated on the northeast shore of Lake Wissota, a reservoir on the Chippewa River. Camping, boating, and fishing are the most popular activities. ...

and

Brunet Island State Park Brunet Island State Park is a state park of Wisconsin, USA, featuring a island in the Chippewa River. The remainder of the park's are on the east bank of the river. It is noted for its numerous white-tailed deer and large eastern hemlock t ...

. Old Abe State Trail is managed cooperatively by the

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is a government agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin charged with conserving and managing Wisconsin's natural resources. The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board has the authority to set polic ...

and Chippewa County. An extension south to

Eau Claire Eau Claire (French for "clear water", ''pl.'' ''eaux claires'') is the name of a number of locations and features in North America. The name is pronounced as if it were spelled "O'Clare". Place names (Canada) Communities *Eau Claire, Calgary, a n ...

is planned to link to the Chippewa River State Trail.

Location

* South terminus at corner of County Highway I and in Chippewa Falls () * North terminus on Park Rd. in Cornell ()

References

External links

Old Abe State Trail website
from

Old Abe State Trail website
from Chippewa County Land Conservation and Forest Management {{Wisconsin hiking trails Protected areas of Chippewa County, Wisconsin Rail trails in Wisconsin