Local author and trail enthusiast Wendy Lewellen will present a program on Rails to Trails. She is the secretary of Chautauqua Rails to Trails (CR2T), which is part of the national Rails to Trails Conservancy (RTC). Lewellen is the author of: “Good Soles: Chautauqua Rails to Trails, Namesakes and Trailblazers,” and “Chautauqua Hostess: Winnie of the Wensley House.” Lewellen, a native of western New York, will discuss the work of Chautauqua Rails to Trails, the volunteer organization that maintains a 30-mile system of recreational trails in the county. It is part of a national network of trails that have been created on the beds of former railroad tracks. All fifty states have rail-trails. The Chautauqua rail-trail runs from Sherman to Brocton, with the Mayville Depot midway.
The railroad originally came to Mayville in 1867. In 1975 the Pennsylvania Railroad (“Pennsy”) abandoned its Chautauqua Branch. Local attorney John Goodell learned that the former Pennsy right-of-way had been abandoned and was for sale, paving the way for the CR2T formation. The prehistory of the area’s trails dates to development of trail systems by the indigenous peoples several thousand years ago. The Eriez were the trail users at the time of European contact. The French used the Portage Trail from Barcelona to Mayville as early as 1615. For a time, it was a major continental route for travel between French Canada and French outposts in the Mississippi Valley. In the later 19th century, a trolley line followed the route.
Lewellen’s talk will touch on the history of trails in the area, primarily discussing the development and current use of the CR2T system over the past 30 years. The CR2T was formed in 1991 to convert the area’s abandoned railroad corridors into recreational trails. The trail system has grown to be composed of eleven named segments or sections. Eight of these trail sections are named for individuals. Lewellen will focus on some of their stories as well as recount stories of the trails.
The program will be Thursday, November 20th, at 7 pm, in the Chautauqua Town Hall meeting room, 2 Academy St, Mayville. It will be hosted by the Chautauqua Town Historical Society, and is free and open to the public. All are encouraged to attend!
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