Northern Rail Trail (New Hampshire) facts for kids
The Northern Rail Trail is a cool path in western New Hampshire, USA. It's about 58 miles long! You can use it for many things, like biking, walking, or even cross-country skiing. This trail follows the old tracks of the Northern Line railroad. The State of New Hampshire bought this old railroad land in 1996. Now, the New Hampshire Bureau of Trails takes care of it for everyone to enjoy. The trail stretches from Lebanon to Boscawen.
Contents
The Trail's Past: A Railroad Story
Building the Northern Line
The original railroad, called the Northern Railroad, was built a long time ago in 1847. It connected Concord, New Hampshire, to White River Junction, Vermont. People in Boston wanted to connect this line all the way to Quebec, Canada. This was a big race to build railroads!
A famous speaker named Daniel Webster was there when the railroad opened in Lebanon. He said it was "altogether new" and that "the world has seen nothing like it before." It was a very exciting time!
The Shakers and the Railroad
Not everyone was excited in the same way. The Shakers, a special community from nearby Enfield, had a deal with the railroad. They wanted the train tracks to be on the other side of Mascoma Lake from their village. In return, they got a bridge to their train station. They even bought some shares in the railroad, and a train engine was named The Shaker! In 1887, a bigger company called the Boston and Maine Railroad took over the Northern Railroad.
Busy Times on the Tracks
The railroad was very busy! Many people and lots of goods traveled to Quebec ports on the St. Lawrence River. From there, they would go to Europe. Trains ran from Boston all the way to White River Junction. You could even continue north into Canada to places like Montreal and Quebec City. Some trains to Montreal were still running in the 1960s.
When the Trains Stopped Running
Passenger trains stopped running on this line in 1965. Freight trains, which carry goods, stopped in the early 1970s. The tracks were used one last time in 1982 because another train line was blocked.
After the railroad company officially stopped using the line, the State of New Hampshire bought about 59 miles of the land in 1995. This part went from Boscawen to Lebanon. A few years later, the State bought the last two miles to White River Junction.
Turning Tracks into a Trail
It took many years of hard work to turn the old railroad into a trail. Volunteers worked on different parts. In 2009, 23 miles of the trail from Lebanon to Grafton were finished. This part could be used all year round!
Volunteers in Merrimack County also started working on their section around the year 2000. They worked from Andover, going west and then east. In 2010, a big project connected the two counties. This made the Northern Rail Trail the longest rail trail in New Hampshire!
