Cedar Rapids’ First Trail

Looking Back at the Sac and Fox Trail

On April 14, 1975, the Sac and Fox Trail was designated by the Department of the Interior as Iowa’s first National Recreation Trail, earning it the nickname “the Granddaddy of all trails.”

The trail has long been connected to Indian Creek Nature Center due to its proximity to the original barn headquarters. In fact, it was Indian Creek Nature Center’s first director, Curt Abdouch, who filled out the paperwork for the trail’s designation.

Even beyond its status as Iowa’s first trail to receive a federal designation, the Sac and Fox Trail is much more than simply a 7.2-mile trail in the heart of Cedar Rapids. 

Today, walkers and bicyclists enjoy it every day as they seek out a slice of nature along the banks of Indian Creek and the Cedar River. It is now one of many choices trail users have in Cedar Rapids — but that wasn’t the case in the 1960s.

“Nobody really knew what a nature center was. Nobody really knew what a trail was,” said Rich Patterson, Indian Creek Nature Center director from 1978 to 2013. Without today’s shared understanding of the positive impacts trails have on a community, it took bold leadership to bring trails to Cedar Rapids. Thankfully, in 1968 Cedar Rapids had a Parks Commissioner named Elmer Delaney.

Bringing Trails to Cedar Rapids

Elmer Delaney brought the idea of public trails back to Cedar Rapids with him from a conference of city park leaders. Another city parks commissioner had mentioned how the trail they built was popular, and Elmer had the perfect place for Cedar Rapids’ first trail.

The city had recently gotten a huge federal grant that offered a 50-50 match for money cities spent purchasing land. The city used this resource to buy condemned land along Indian Creek and the Cedar River that was previously used for farming, but was needed by the city to build a corridor for a sewer to go.

This caused some commotion among residents, but when the city pledged to use the land for recreation, public opinion shifted. It shifted enough that when a city bond issue to support the purchase of land came up, the bond issue passed. This was one of a few bond issues that have ever been passed in Cedar Rapids.

With government support in the form of federal grants and public support through the bond issue, the city was able to purchase the land. Soon, Elmer Delaney began sending crews out to build the trail.

By the time Curt Abdouch filled out the paperwork in 1975, the trail stretched 3.5 miles from the Cole Street parking lot to Mount Vernon Road. Cedar Rapids had its first trail, but certainly not its last.

The First Trail of Many

Rich Patterson remembers that “from 1975 until 1990 the trail was a mud track. It was fine in the summer and it was fine when it was cold, but in between it was just mud.”

Still, people loved it. The Sac and Fox Trail proved to be a safe, enjoyable and free recreational resource for the community. As more people used the trail, and trails became more widespread across the country, more trails were added throughout the city.

Both private and public institutions were committed to building trails. By 1980, Indian Creek Nature Center had received a National Recreation Trail designation for the Cedar Greenbelt Trail.

Rich Patterson recalls taking advantage of the Resource Enhancement and Protection Fund (REAP) created by the Iowa Legislature in 1989 that offered grants to protect Iowa’s natural resources. “In 1990 I worked with the city council on a $300,000 grant for bridges, including the metal one that goes over Indian Creek, resurfacing the trail, and extending [the Sac and Fox] to the full seven miles it is today. So it was really in 1990 that it became a modern trail.”

Today, Cedar Rapids has 130 miles of trails and bikeways within the metropolitan area. And it all began with 3.5 miles of mud track.

Honoring 50 Years of the Sac and Fox Trail

What better way to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Sac and Fox Trail’s designation than to get out onto “the Granddaddy of all trails.” On April 13 at 2:00 PM the entire community is invited to join a short walk that will include the history of the Sac and Fox Trail. 

The event is free to attend, but guests are encouraged to pre-register. The walk will begin at the Nature Center’s original barn headquarters near the Sac and Fox Trail (6665 Otis Road SE). Guests are welcome to walk or bicycle during the event. All-terrain wheelchairs are available for reservation for those with mobility impairments.

After a brief walk to the trail, Rich Patterson (representing Indian Creek Nature Center), Dale Todd (representing the city of Cedar Rapids) and Tom Peffer (representing the Linn County Trails Association) will speak for a few minutes about the past, present and future of trails in Cedar Rapids. Then guests will be invited to enjoy the trails at their leisure.

We hope you join us on Sunday, April 13th for a walk to celebrate this special milestone for Cedar Rapids’ first trail, which has certainly earned its nickname.