Someday, Prairie Spirit Trail users may be able to start a southward trek at Iola and end up in Wichita.
The positive “spike” for the rail trail came about Tuesday when Allen County commissioners gave their OK for Thrive Allen County to pursue two $30,000 grants. The money would help develop the trail between the south city limit of Iola to where the railbed intersects K-224 at the northeast edge of Humboldt.
The grants, sought from Sunflower Foundation and Health Care Foundation of Greater of Kansas City, will be written on behalf of Allen County, said David Toland, Thrive executive director. No county funds would be involved.
Toland told commissioners the six-mile stretch of the former Santa Fe Railroad right of way is owned by Sunflower Rail-Trails Conservancy of Lawrence, a group of volunteers working to help develop walking and biking trails in Kansas.
If the grants are approved, initial work will be to ensure safety of walkers and bikers crossing the old railroad trestle over Elm Creek.
“The trestle needs railings and some work on the deck,” Toland said.
“We would start at the north end, because the trestle is the most pressing part, and work our way south,” he added, with the hope of attracting enough support in the Humboldt area to begin development there and head north.
“There are student groups at Humboldt high and middle schools interested in helping out and we want to have students in Iola (secondary) schools do the same,” Toland said. “Boy Scouts also are eager to help out, and already have, with an initial survey of the north end of the proposed project last weekend.”
Work to extend developed right of way from the trailhead in Cofachique Park in northwest Iola about a mile south along the west edge of Iola to the northeast corner of Riverside Park has started and will be completed by late spring or early summer.
Iola officials discussed completing the trail on to the south city limit, where the six-mile stretch on to Humboldt starts, but nothing concrete is in the works.
THE DREAM of trail proponents is to have the Prairie Spirit Trail wind its way not only to Humboldt, but also on to Chanute, perhaps by way of the old Katy Railroad right of way that runs south from the west edge of Humboldt
The railroad south of K-224 remains active. That would entail building a trail from the K-224 intersection through Humboldt, over the old Marsh arch bridge at the west side of town and to the Katy.
Once in Chanute, it could be attached to a trail proposed from Chanute to Fredonia and yet another component going on to Winfield, and finally to Wichita.
Some day, Toland said, an ambitious biker — or more ambitious walker — might be able to start in St. Louis and go through Kansas City, Lawrence, Iola and eventually on to Wichita without ever leaving a trail perched atop railroad rights of way.
