The Tanglefoot Trail is an

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

-covered

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

in northeastern

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. Ranging in the

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

of the

Ripley and New Albany Railroad The Ripley & New Albany Railroad is a shortline railroad that runs from New Albany to Falkner, Mississippi, and previously extended from Houston, Mississippi, to Middleton, Tennessee, along former Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad trackage. RNA i ...

, it is the longest rail-trail in the state. It runs through three counties (

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Their traditional territory was in the Southeastern United States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee as well in southwestern Kentucky. Their language is classified as ...

, Pontotoc, and

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

) and is located within the

Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The designation commemorates the region's impact on American culture and its role in the America ...

History

A portion (the Pontotoc to New Albany section) of the route's origin goes back to the Chippewa, who later called it the "King's Highway". The king in question was Ishtehotopah, the last king of the tribe, who, on June 9, 1838, led 129 followers from Pontotoc to

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

. It was also used by explorers such as

Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto (; ; 1500 – 21 May, 1542) was a Spanish explorer and '' conquistador'' who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire ...

and

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...

and was part of the original

Natchez Trace The Natchez Trace, also known as the Old Natchez Trace, is a historic forest trail within the United States which extends roughly from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, linking the Cumberland, Tennessee, and Mississippi rivers. ...

. The section then became part of

William Clark Falkner William Clark Falkner (July 6, 1825 or 1826 – November 6, 1889) was a soldier, lawyer, politician, businessman, and author in northern Mississippi. He is most notable for the influence he had on the work of his great-grandson, author William F ...

Gulf and Ship Island Railroad The Gulf and Ship Island Railroad (G&SI) was constructed in the state of Mississippi, USA, at the turn of the 20th century to open a vast expanse of southern yellow pine forests for commercial harvest. In spite of economic uncertainty, entrepren ...

(G&SI) in the late 1800s. The name Tanglefoot comes from a

train engine A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the us ...

. This section was later sold to the Gulf & Chicago Railroad (G&CR) in 1889. In 1903, the Mobile, Jackson & Kansas City Railroad (MJ&KC) started building north from

Beaumont Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex ** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche * ...

, with the end goal that it would connect the town with

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States ...

. The MJ&KC ended up

leasing A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...

the G&CR on July 1, 1903. The gap between the two railroads was completed in 1906 and the two companies merged to become the New Orleans, Mobile & Chicago Railroad (NOM&C) in 1909, marking the first time the current trail route fell into the ownership of one company. The NOM&C became the

Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad The Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad was a railroad in the Southern United States. The first World War had forced government operation upon the company; and in 1919, when it became once more a free agent, it chose Isaac B. Tigrett to chart its n ...

(GM&N) following reorganization on January 1, 1917. The route changed ownership yet again in 1940, this time becoming the

Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Class I railroad in the central United States whose primary routes extended from Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, to St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as Chicago, Illinois. From its two pa ...

following a merger with the GM&N and the

Mobile and Ohio Railroad The Mobile and Ohio Railroad was a railroad in the Southern U.S. The M&O was chartered in January and February 1848 by the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It was planned to span the distance between the seaport of Mobile ...

. Ownership once again changed hands when the railroad merged into the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...

on August 10, 1972, thus becoming Illinois Central Gulf Railroad (ICG). ICG abandoned this route and sold it to the

Gulf and Mississippi Railroad The Gulf and Mississippi Railroad was the first regional railroad in the United States upon its creation in 1985. With over of track in the states of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama it was among the largest spin-off railroads in the post-St ...

in 1985. Struggling financially, the rail network was sold to MidSouth Rail in April 1988.

Kansas City Southern Railway The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operates in 10 midwestern and southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and ...

then acquired MidSouth in 1994. At some point,

North American RailNet North American RailNet, Inc., based in Bedford, Texas, was a holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produ ...

acquired it for its Mississippi and Tennessee RailNet (now Ripley and New Albany Railroad), which marked the last change of the route's ownership when it was used as a railroad. In 2003, after deeming it unprofitable, the railroad gave a notice of abandonment for the stretch between New Albany and

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. Garnering inspiration from

Hattiesburg Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the populat ...

Longleaf Trace The Longleaf Trace is a paved pedestrian, equestrian, rollerblade, and bicycle trail located between Hattiesburg and Prentiss, Mississippi, USA. The Trace was constructed in 2000. It follows a portion of the abandoned Mississippi Central Railroa ...

, officials for the communities the rail serviced expressed interest to convert this now-abandoned railway. Prior to funding for the trail, the

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP), formerly known as the Mississippi Game & Fish Commission, is an agency of the state government, government of the U.S. state of Mississippi responsible for programs protecting M ...

granted $100,000 for the construction of

whistlestop In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, st ...

s on the trail in March 2007. The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation provided an additional $40,000 for the facilities in December 2012. In August 2008, the

Mississippi Department of Transportation The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Mississippi. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in sup ...

awarded a $5.1 million

grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, C ...

for the development of the trail. Additional funds of $350,000 to assist with the development were allotted. In July 2008, the right of way was purchased. $4.5 million was granted in August 2010, this time to asphalt the length of the trail. Construction was completed in September 2013, and the trail was open on the 21st of that month. The New Albany trailhead and Pontotoc rest area were completed at a later date. The trail was designated as a

National Recreation Trail The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

in 2015. A pavilion just south of New Albany was completed during the summer of 2016. The arch located at the end of the trail in New Albany was completed in mid-November 2017 and the signage on the arch was installed around a year later. On August 23, 2019, the

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is an American nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works with communities to preserve unused rail corridors by transforming them into rail trails within the United States. RTC's purpose is to c ...

inducted the Tanglefoot into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame, becoming the 33rd member. The trail received around 14,000 votes, more than half of all votes counted.

Route

The trail runs through seven rural communities, usually going through the community's center. Along the trail, sculptures and an

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

are made of

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

s. Businesses along the trail also adapt to fit the needs of cyclists. An annual

bike race A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

, the Tour de Bodock, is held in autumn on the Tanglefoot. Currently, the Houston trailhead is under construction. The path throughout the trail is ten feet wide. The four whistlestops on the trail, located in New Houlka, Algoma, Ecru, and Ingomar, have

bathroom A bathroom or washroom is a room, typically in a home or other residential building, that contains either a bathtub or a shower (or both). The inclusion of a wash basin is common. In some parts of the world e.g. India, a toilet is typically i ...

facilities. Public parking is located on the whistlestops as well as the New Albany and Houston trailheads and Pontotoc gateway. The trail winds through

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

s, open area and

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...

s. Wildlife such as

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

s, and

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

s are common throughout the trail, and even loose

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

s and

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

from nearby farms can be spotted.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://tanglefoottrail.com/
Tanglefoot Trail on TrailLink
2013 establishments in Mississippi Hiking trails in Mississippi National Recreation Trails in Mississippi