AMO — What started as a bike ride for one man, may soon end up connecting Plainfield to Greencastle through this small town.
Greg Midgley, an engineer who resides on the westside of Indianapolis, had been an avid bike rider for years, and it was just another trip when he went to visit his brother in Missouri three years ago.
“We went on this trail that connected several small towns,” he said. “It would take three to five days to bike it. I got really excited about it and thought that there must be something like that in Indiana.”
When he returned home, he found that although there was an extensive trail system in Plainfield, and then another part of the trail that linked Fillmore to Greencastle, it tapered off somewhere in the middle. The trail he was interested in was the old Vandalia Trail Railroad Corridor, the trail that Plainfield’s system runs along, and the pathway that connects Fillmore to Greencastle, just west of the county.
“The old railroad corridor was still there, it just wasn’t being used,” Midgley said.
Midgley wasted no time getting started, and began contacting the small towns along the path between Plainfield and Fillmore.
“I spent a lot of time at fish fries, festivals, and town meetings,” he said. “I didn’t want (community members) to think ‘who is this guy from Indianapolis coming to take over our land?’ I want this to be about the community.”
The towns of Amo and Coatesville were the first to jump on board. The trail spans just over three miles between the towns and is on top of the sewer line.
Midgley decided to make a hiking and biking trail in the railroad corridor, and a horseback riding trail that ran along side of that.
Although he has extensive experience as a trail user, this is his first shot at being a trail builder.
“I’ve had a lot of help along the way,” he said. “If some of the people that were out here in the beginning hadn’t been here, it would have been easy to get discouraged.”
Midgley has spent hundreds of volunteer hours on the trail, and many other individuals and groups have helped out along the way, clearing brush, building a bridge, and doing everything else that needed to be done.
“We have tons of projects that groups can do for volunteer hours,” he said. “Anyone who wants to help out, it would be appreciated.”
Individuals or organizations interested in service projects may contact Midgley by e-mailing to greg@indianatrails.org.
The trail begins just west of the old interurban depot in Amo, and ends in downtown Coatesville.
“This could really drive traffic to these small towns,” Midgley said. “Hopefully, the trail will eventually be connected across the state, and will encourage (people) to visit these towns.”
The project started just over three years ago, and the portion spanning from Amo to Coatesville is slated to be finished by the spring of 2007. Midgley said his next step will be to hopefully go further into Coatesville.
“If we can get it to connect through Coatesville to Fillmore, then the trail from Fillmore to Greencastle is already completed,” he said. “That will make 12 miles of trail complete.”
He said he has also been looking east of Amo through Clayton and Cartersburg, but that that side of the project will come later on.
“It just started as me wanting a place to bike,” he laughed. “But it’s amazing how it has all come together. The community has been very supportive, and it is always nice to see people out using the trail that we’ve been working on.”