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Sunday, June 09, 2002

By Larry Walsh

What's the history of this place?

It's a question often asked by bicyclists as they pedal along the Great Allegheny Passage, the nearly level rail-trail that will link Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Md., when it is finished in 2004.

	Curt Marquard, Bob Gebhardt and Helen Marquard read a new sign about the former Western Maryland Railway while biking along the Great Allegheny Passage near Meyersdale, Pa. (Allegheny Trail Alliance)

The first of several answers to that question was provided last Saturday by the Allegheny Trail Alliance at the renovated Western Maryland Railway station in Meyersdale when it unveiled the first of four new permanent wayside exhibits as part of National Trails Day.

The impressive interpretive signs will be used to tell the story of the Great Allegheny Passage throughout its 150-mile length. And, if the colorful and informative sign posted at the Meyersdale trailhead is any example, and it is, the signs also should be reproduced for post cards, note cards and posters.

The sign shows a steam-driven Western Maryland Railway locomotive hauling a load of coal cars through the area. The railway carried a variety of freight to Connellsville where it was transferred to the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad for delivery to Pittsburgh and Erie. The railway also had limited passenger service.

"Our intent is to tell the rich history of our trail corridor," said Linda McKenna Boxx, president of the alliance. "We have a great story and we want to share it ... through guidebooks, our Web site, wayside exhibits, new technologies or guided tours."

Boxx said the signs are the result of a year-long effort to identify significant sites along the trail, research their history, write it succinctly, find the best images and design the best exhibits.

Bob Gangewere, the lead consultant on the project, said he has a new appreciation for writers and editors because of the difficulty he and others had distilling volumes of history into a few dozen words.

The second sign will give the history of the 1,908-foot-long -- and 101-foot-high -- Salisbury Viaduct, about two miles northwest of Meyersdale and five miles north of Salisbury. It got its name from a spur line that ran off the main line of the railway to Salisbury.

The third sign, which will tell the story of George Washington and the Turkeyfoot, will be placed along the trail, just across the Youghiogheny River from Confluence.

Washington said the confluence of the area's three main waterways -- the Youghiogheny and Casselman rivers and Laurel Hill Creek -- resembled a turkey's foot. Confluence residents hope the sign will clearly depict the turkey foot shape when it's completed. A fourth sign will show the town of West Newton.

Gangewere worked closely with Brendan Wiant of Bally Design to develop the exhibits. Also working on the wayside exhibit project were Boxx, Sandra Finley, Bill Metzger, Jim Shaulis, Mary Shaw and Roy Weil.

After the unveiling of the Western Maryland Railway sign on a hot, sunny -- and blessedly breezy -- morning, the Meyersdale Area Historical Society, welcomed more than 40 men, women and children into the train station for refreshments.

Hank Parke, president of the Somerset County Rails-to-Trails Association, praised the historical society for its efforts to restore the station after years of neglect and then redo the interior at a cost of $10,000 after it was vandalized.

Parke, who also is the executive director of the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce, said the bike trail has created an economic resurgence in a number of towns along its length, especially in overnight accommodations.

"There's a lot to see and do out here in Somerset County and the Laurel Highlands," he said. "Once people realize that, they'll be back."

The Allegheny Trail Alliance is a coalition of seven rail-trail organizations in Southwestern Pennsylvania and Western Maryland. It was one of 3,000 trail organizations that participated in the 10th Annual National Trails Day, an event sponsored by the American Hiking Society.

For more information, call toll-free at 888-282-2453 or go to http://www.atatrail.org.

River and Rails Festival

Rockwood, about 15 miles south of Somerset via Routes 281 and 653, was an important transportation hub in the early part of the 20th Century. Some of its early settlers paddled in on the Casselman River; later arrivals rode a train.

The Fifth Annual River and Rails festival will celebrate the town's heritage Friday through Sunday with a variety of activities, food and craft vendors, entertainment and exhibits.

Because of limited parking in town, Seven Springs Mountain Resort once again will provide free shuttle service. And Judy and Terry Pletcher said bicyclists may park their bikes at the Rockwood Mill Shoppes & Opera House on West Main Street, about one-quarter mile -- across the river and up a short hill -- from the trail.

For more festival information, call 814-926-2873.

Yough River Sojourn

Even if you can't participate this year, make plans now for next year's annual week-long, 70-mile river and trail trip from Confluence to Boston near McKeesport. My colleagues, Bob Batz Jr. and Annie O'Neill, still talk about the great time they had covering the inaugural sojourn in 1998. Go for a day or two or stay for the week.

Here's the itinerary and daily fees:

Paddle an inflatable kayak from Confluence to Ohiopyle ($40); paddle a raft from Ohiopyle to Bruner Run ($65); pedal a bike from Ohiopyle to Connellsville ($40); paddle a canoe from Adelaide to Cedar Creek Park ($40); paddle a canoe from Cedar Creek Park to Buena Vista ($40); paddle a canoe from Buena Vista to Boston ($25).

All meals, bike rentals and camping are included in the fees. Not included are canoes, tents and camping equipment. Canoes with paddles and life jackets can be rented. The Regional Trail Corporation, which coordinates the sojourn, promises six days of "exploration, education and entertainment" -- and it delivers.

For more information, call the Regional Trail Corporation at 724-872-5586.

Trail Mix(er)

Friends of the Riverfront will hold a fund-raising event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 21 at the new Carnegie Mellon National Robotics Engineering Consortium at 10 40th Street in Lawrenceville.

In addition to celebrating the opening of the newest section of the Heritage Trail, the mixer also will showcase the organization's environmental and recreational projects. It also will highlight Lawrenceville's "significant efforts" on behalf of the trail and its amenities.

Billed as "not your typical fund-raiser," the mixer will offer music, arts, food, beverages and tours. Tickets are $50 or $35 for Friends members or anyone who arrives on foot, by bike, boat or bus.

For more information, call 412-441-3673 or visit http://www.friendsoftheriverfront.org.

Larry Walsh can be reached at 412-263-1488. His e-mail address is lwalsh@post-gazette.com.