Rails to Trails Conservancy, 1985-1988

The files in this group did not fit within the other categories but were Advocacy and Issues, and thus, remain as a general topical subseries. Included in the Alphabetical subseries are files on Boy and Girl Scouts of America and correspondence and news clippings about their projects: The Red Caboose Trail, The Triangle Park, and The Charlotte Marous Trail. Correspondence, notes, and news clippings about an additional special use trail, the Raymond Watts Trail for the Blind, are also found here. Correspondence and publications from the Rails to Trails Conservancy are also found here. Connecting Trails files includes materials on the Great Western Trail and the Fox River Trail. As one of the earliest examples of reuse of an abandoned railway for public recreation, the input and guidance of the IPP was often sought by the supporters and proposers of other trails in both Illinois as well as other states. The Support for Other Trails files contain a sampling of this very voluminous correspondence, with substantive inquiries and ongoing correspondence always maintained. Other issues which can be found in this series include correspondence about the Derailment of a Chicago & Northwestern train in downtown Glen Ellyn in 1976 and the subsequent repair efforts. Crime and Safety, as well as Vandalism on the trail, is a perennial issue and these files contain news clippings, correspondence, and police reports regarding incidents or perceived dangers. Parking and Encroachments also are ongoing issues and these files pertain to illegal parking and building on the path as well as the IPP advocating against further parking lot construction along the path. One file relates to a recurring proposal to build a monorail along the path. Accommodations for equestrian use of the path is a common theme, resulting in several folders with concerns from both the equestrians and other path users. The protection and redevelopment of prairies along the path, as well as the surveys of both flora and fauna found along the path are included in this subseries. These files consist of survey forms and results and correspondence regarding prairie maintenance or destruction and restoration are included. The campaign to have the Illinois Prairie Path recognized as the official name produced a larger amount of material than the other topics in these files. When DuPage County purchased the abandoned railway, this path was known as the DuPage Parkway and placed within the DuPage Highways Department. After decades of concern about the incorrect but official name, the IPP launched a campaign which ultimately resulted in a resolution by the County Board to recognize Illinois Prairie Path as the official name.