Pere Marquette Rail-Trail

The Pere Marquette Rail-Trail (PMRT) is a rail trail in Michigan occupying a 28-mile (45 km) abandoned CSX railroad corridor in Midland County and Isabella County that was once part of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad. In 1874, the tracks stretched from Ludington to Flint, transporting supplies to the timber industry in southern Michigan's mills.[1] It is currently a Michigan Rails to Trails Conservancy Hall of Fame trail.[2]

Not to be confused with Pere Marquette State Trail.
Pere Marquette Rail-Trail
Length28 mi (45 km)
LocationClare, Isabella, and Midland Counties, Michigan
TrailheadsClare, Michigan
Loomis, Michigan
Coleman, Michigan
Sanford, Michigan
Midland, Michigan
UseWalking, running, biking, rollerblading
DifficultyEasy
SurfaceAsphalt
Trail map

The trail in Clare passing underneath U.S. Route 127

History

In the late 1980s, William C. Gibson and Paul D. Pounders worked with the County of Midland's Parks and Recreation Department and were at the forefront of the creation of the trail.

The trail is named after the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad, named after Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement at Sault Ste. Marie. Père is the French word for father; ergo, Father Marquette.

The first portion of the trail opened in June 1993. This portion was almost wholly contained in the city of Midland and started at The Tridge.

Location
Pere Marquette Rail-Trail
Location Coordinates
Midland (The Tridge) 43°36′39.8″N 84°14′55.3″W
Clare (Fourth St. and Pine St.) 43°49′07.7″N 84°45′58.9″W

See also

References
  1. Isabella County Parks & Recreation: Pere Marquette Rail-Trail Archived 2006-05-05 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Pere Marquette Rail-Trail". Retrieved 5 December 2011.
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