Approximately 145 miles of former rail lines are being transformed into the Rock Island Trail for hiking and biking. Plans also include joining the Rock Island and Katy Trails to create one of the world's longest recreational trails.
Eldon, Missouri and Missouri Rock Island Trail, Inc. (MORIT) have been leaders in reclaiming the Rock Island, abandoned in the 1980s, leaving towns that once pulsed with rail traffic to re-invent themselves and their economies.
Eldon has already transformed land adjacent to the Rock Island line into an attractive city park, but they are not satisfied. Eldon partnered with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) twice. The first project was the Rock Island trail; the second to repurpose the Rock Island City Park into a healthy living mecca.
The depot, masked by trees, now almost barren, can be seen from the Eldon Rock Island City Park (photo above). Some call the abandoned depot an eyesore (photo below).
Since the 1980s, the Rock Island rail lines have been dormant. Trains no longer carry cargo of any type. In fact, the rails are buried under soil and wild grass, but once upon a time, trains shuddered to a stop in Eldon. Today, the rail line from the Rock Island City Park in Eldon west to South Grant is overgrown. It cuts through a residential neighborhood on the south and commercial enterprises north.
From Eldon to Versailles, the Rock Island runs roughly parallel to Highway 52. In some places, it has been smothered by wind and soil, evident in the photo taken just off Highway 52 on Admire Road.
Once Missouri State Parks have developed the trail, hikers and bikers will experience beautiful natural scenery like the pond on Admire Road outside Eldon. Their pace will be slower, their eyes able to focus for as long as they like.
In other places along Highway 52, the rail line is easy to see after trees and bushes have begun to lose their leaves. The line rests atop berms.
The rails still have value and will be salvaged. The line approaching Versailles, made in the U. S. by Carnegie Steel, dates from 1946. Another piece was stamped 1923.
The views in Versailles are similar to those in Eldon. The line cuts through the town on West Williamson behind buildings that were once thriving businesses, and they may be again. The Katy Trail reinvigorated towns, bringing recreational dollars to those communities.
The Rock Island drifts away from Highway 52 outside Stover. It angles toward what was once a busy business district. At Vine and Hickory in Stover, an old switchbox stands at some distance from a hollow industrial area.
Hikers and bicyclists are quiet neighbors. They pass through cities and rustic areas to enjoy Nature and good health. They also bring dollars to spend, offering Eldon, Versailles, and Stover new opportunities for growth.
