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Historical Information

From CANAL

RAILS

TRAILS

The Juniata River Valley has historic roots as a transportation corridor in Central Pennsylvania. It served the Native Americans as part of the Kittanning Trail and later became known as the Frankstown Road, carrying pioneers moving westward. The steep ridges made cargo travel difficult, therefore the river routes became the primary transportation corridors.

From Canal ... In the early 1800's the Pennsylvania Canal, known as the "continuous waterway," linked Philadelphia and Pittsburgh as part of the Mainline of the Public Works of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Mainline consisted of five divisions: the Philadelphia and Columbia RR, a narrow gauge railroad from Philadelphia to Columbia on the Susquehanna River; the Eastern Division of the canal from Columbia to Duncannon; the Juniata Division from Duncannon to Hollidaysburg; the Allegheny-Portage Railroad, an engineering marvel of 10 incline planes that hauled canal boats on flat cars over the Allegheny Mountains to Johnstown; and the Western Division of the canal from Johnstown to Pittsburgh.

The building of the Mainline caused excitement and growth in communities along the route. Industry expanded along the corridor to capitalize on the transportation route and abundance of natural resources like iron ore. The most complete remains of an iron ore smelting furnace, and its community, still exists at Mt. Etna, located midpoint on the Lower Trail.

To Rails ... As the railroad industry grew more powerful, the canal systems rapidly became obsolete. By the 1850's most of Pennsylvania's canals were abandoned. The railroad locomotive could move passengers and freight when canal traffic was stopped by low water or ice jams. By the late 1800's the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) had taken over nearly all the traffic from canal and portage routes. In 1930, the PRR handled more traffic in one day than the former Allegheny Portage RR had all year.

As the railroad grew in importance, so did Central Pennsylvania. Banks, churches, newspapers, hotels, hospitals, theatres, and schools soon followed the growth of the PRR, meeting the needs of thousands of people who answered the shop whistle every day. The vitality of those days, when the railroad was at its peak, is just a memory now. However, it is a memory worth keeping and preserving.

To Trails ... Keeping that memory alive is one of the goals of Rails To Trails. A growing group of local residents dedicated to the preservation of our railroading heritage through the conversion of abandoned railroad corridors into public recreational trails. At the peak of railroad operations there were 15,000 miles of tracks in Pennsylvania. Today more than 9,000 miles are abandoned.

Rails To Trails recognizes the opportunity these abandoned railroads can provide by creating "living museums" of our natural heritage. Accross the nation, rail-trails are being used for hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, nature study, photography and other forms of outdoor recreation as well as an alternative means of transportation.

These rail-trails provide safe, convenient family recreation for everyone: adults, children, the elderly, and the physically challenged. How rewarding it is to spend a day outdoors with family and friends while experiencing such an important part of American history!