From rails to trails
Great Trail event picks up steam in Summerside
Felix Richard still remembers the sound of whistles and pounding of wheels against railway tracks in Summerside. “When I was growing up I could hear the whistles blowing all the time. It was a good feeling. And for the people who lived near the railway tracks, they could hear the rattle as the train approached,” he said with a grin.
In the early years, the railroad was a lifeline that not only connected the small communities dotted around the Island, but also brought supplies that helped them blossom.
“We use to unload the train near the warehouse, hurl coal, and then on the wharf they use to load it with potatoes and unload the fertilizer, Richard said.”
“My aunts and uncles from Tignish used to catch the train to see the doctor and get an ice cream or go shopping in Summerside. It was a big deal in those days.”
When the railway was abandoned in P.E.I. in 1989, Islanders were quick to jump aboard the idea to transform the old rail beds into the ultimate scenic route for walkers and hikers, cyclists and wheelchairs, and snowmobilers in winter that would stitch communities together.
Operated and maintained by the P.E.I. government, the 435-kilometre Confederation Trail is the historic remains of the Canadian railway that once crossed the province, and it is now part of the nationwide trail system.
Richard helps maintain part of the route as an employee with Summerside community services Parks and Green Space, so future generations can continue to be connected and find common ground in the beauty of the outdoors.
The Trans-Canada Trail system spans 24,000 kilometres across the 10 provinces and three territories.
A nationwide event kicked off Saturday to honour the significance of the trail, as well as the dreamers, doers, volunteers, friends and partners who helped create the national icon. The City of Summerside hosted a Celebration Trail Event at the Bantam Market at 192 Water Street, beside the former Summerside Rotary Library/train station. Activities included a commemorative planting of the red oak provincial tree, a five kilometre walk or run, trivia event, barbecue with live entertainment.
Trent Williams, the Park and Green Space manager, says the event not only marked the completion of the trail, but also coincided with 150 years of Confederation.
“Summerside is the starting place of the Confederation Trail…it was in 1992 they officially began the construction of linking the trail system.”
The Great Trail (formerly the Trans-Canada Trail), is one of the longest recreational routes in the world.
More information is available at: https://thegreattrail.ca/celebrate/.