Dawkins Line Rail Trail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dawkins Line Rail Trail |
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 Dawkins Line Rail Trail
Location in Kentucky
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| Location | Eastern Kentucky Coal Fields, Johnson County and Magoffin County, Kentucky USA |
| Nearest city | Paintsville, Kentucky |
| Established | June 15, 2013 |
| Governing body |
Kentucky Department of Parks
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| Length | 18 mi (29 km) |
| Trailheads | Swamp Branch Royalton |
| Use | Cycling, Equestrian, and Hiking |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Season | All |
| Surface | Crushed stone |
| Website | Official site: https://parks.ky.gov/swamp-branch/parks/recreation/dawkins-line-rail-trail |
The Dawkins Line Rail Trail is a cool outdoor path in Johnson and Magoffin Counties, Kentucky. It's about 18 miles long and is a special kind of park called a rail trail. This means it was once a railroad track!
Today, you can use this trail for many fun activities. It's great for biking, walking, and even horseback riding. The trail follows an old railroad line that was built a long time ago, in the early 1900s. It was first used by a company called Dawkins Lumber. This trail is special because it's the longest rail trail in all of Kentucky!
History of the Trail
The Dawkins Line Rail Trail gets its name from the Dawkins Lumber Company. This company started a railroad in 1912 called the Big Sandy and Kentucky River Railroad (BS&K). They built this railroad to help their workers get around. It also helped them move timber (wood) from faraway places.
After a big economic event called the stock market crash in 1929, the BS&K company closed down. Another railroad company, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), bought the old railroad in 1930.
Later, in 1949, a tunnel was built near Carver. This helped the railroad line reach even further, into Breathitt County.
Becoming a Rail Trail
In 2002, the railroad line was owned by a company called CSX. Then, in 2004, another company, R.J. Corman Railroad Group, decided they no longer needed the 36-mile long rail line.
In 2006, the state of Kentucky decided to turn this unused railroad into a public trail. They provided the first money to start the project. In 2011, the land was bought from R.J. Corman, and work on the trail began.
The Kentucky State Parks received a grant of $500,000 to help build the trail. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet also gave about $2 million for the first part of the project. They also provided money for special starting points, called trailheads.
The first part of the Dawkins Line Rail Trail was finished and opened to the public on June 15, 2013.
Future Plans
There are plans to make the Dawkins Line Rail Trail even longer! When the second part of the project is finished, the trail will go all the way to Evanston in Breathitt County. Once it's completely done, the Dawkins Line Rail Trail will be a total of 36 miles long.
Future work will also include fixing up the old railroad bed from Royalton towards the tunnel near the Magoffin and Breathitt County line.
