Benld - Gillespie Bike Trail brought to you by Wayne's World of History and Genealogy

	Wayne's World of History and Genealogy

Benld - Gillespie Bike Trail B i c y c l e T r a i l
Photographed September 2009	Bike, jog, or walk on this paved path	Photographed September 2009

Photographed June 2008

Photographed March 2007 Benld Entry		Photographed March 2007 Gillespie Entry

    The Bike Trail between Benld and Gillespie is a great recreational place for bicycling, straight-line skating and of course the primary purpose - walking for health, exercise and enjoyment. For use by people of all ages without the hazards of motorized traffic.
    Being paved and well maintained, this one and four-tenths mile trail sees a vast amount of use on a daily basis in all types of weather conditions.

Directions - Benld :
    On Illinois Route 4 on the west side of Benld, turn east on Illinois Route 138, also known as Central Avenue in Benld. Continue east for three blocks, the fire Department is on the south side and Trolley Street goes north. Take Trolley Street to the north for three blocks which is to the end of the street. On the north side is the Bike Trail entryway, just across the street from the ball diamond.

Directions - Gillespie :
    On Illinois Route 4 at the southern side of Gillespie, turn to the east on Clark Street. Continue east on Clark Street for two and one-half blocks, then just past the AmerenIP sub-station is the Gillespie entryway.

	Not actually part of the Route 66 roadway, this trail parallels Illinois Route 4, which was used as Route 66 from 1926 through 1930. Less than a mile to the east, the bike trail is easily accessible from Illinois Route 4. The Benld - Gillespie Bike Trail was designated as part of the Route 66 Bike Trail in 2009.


The Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail is on part of the route of the electric trolley railway known as the Interurban. This is a small portion of the railway furnishing transportation through central Illinois, from St. Louis, Missouri through Alton, Edwardsville, Staunton, Sawyerville, Benld, Gillespie, Carlinville, and on north to Springfiled, Peoria, Bloomington, Decatur, Danville, and other points in between. Photograph furnished by : Jill Secoy The Illinois streetcar system of Champaign and Urbana was purchased by William B. McKinley in 1890 and thus began McKinley Lines, the basis for the beginning of this railroad. Through merging and connections with other lines, this became the Illinois Traction System and the route was completed through to Staunton in 1905. Another line betrween Alton and Edwardsville, the Illinois Terminal Railroad was bought by Illinois Power and Light in 1928 and then in 1956 these lines were merged to form the Illinois Terminal Railroad Company. Note : Illinois Power and Light became Illinois Power Company and then was succeeded by AmerenIP. With this system no longer in operation and the rails and related items removed, the blank strip of land was eventually utilized as a paved trail for it current use.
Looking for photos, history, comments and any other pertinent items to be included on this web site.

The Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail is on part of the route of the electric trolley railway known as the Interurban. This is a small portion of the railway furnishing transportation through central Illinois, from St. Louis, Missouri through Alton, Edwardsville, Staunton, Sawyerville, Benld, Gillespie, Carlinville, and on north to Springfiled, Peoria, Bloomington, Decatur, Danville, and other points in between.

Photograph furnished by : Jill Secoy

The Illinois streetcar system of Champaign and Urbana was purchased by William B. McKinley in 1890 and thus began McKinley Lines, the basis for the beginning of this railroad. Through merging and connections with other lines, this became the Illinois Traction System and the route was completed through to Staunton in 1905. Another line betrween Alton and Edwardsville, the Illinois Terminal Railroad was bought by Illinois Power and Light in 1928 and then in 1956 these lines were merged to form the Illinois Terminal Railroad Company.
Note :
Illinois Power and Light became Illinois Power Company and then was succeeded by AmerenIP.

With this system no longer in operation and the rails and related items removed, the blank strip of land was eventually utilized as a paved trail for it current use.

Looking for photos, history, comments and any other pertinent items to be included on this web site.

May is National Bicycle Safety Month
- off site Links -
Illinois Bicycling Guide from : Illinois Department of Natural Resources http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/Landmgt/Programs/Biking/BIKEGDE.HTM
The Bicycle Safety Guide from : Guardian Insurance http://www.guardianinsurance.com.au/ArticleLibrary/The-Bicycle-Safety-Guide.aspx
Kid's Bicycle Safety Guide from : CycleSport.com Links to various websites including these sections : Bicycle Information, Safe Riding, Protective and Safety Gear, Rules of the Road, Bicycle Safety Resources The links in the Bicycle Information section contain a lot of Bicycle History (very interesting)

Bicycle Safety Issues - What to teach your child about staying safe on their bike.
           http://www.ibike.org/education/safety-kids.htm

Brain Busters - This simple yet fun trivia game helps teach children about bicycle & helmet safety.
           http://www.cpsc.gov/kids/bb.html

10 Smart Routes - A publication from US Consumer Product Safety Commission with 10 biking safety tips.
           http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/343.html

Bike & Wheel Sport Safety - A kid-friendly page teaching children how to be safe on their bike or other wheeled toy.
           http://www.nysgtsc.state.ny.us/Kids/kid-bike.htm

Bike Safety Statistics - Information everyone should know about bicycle helmet safety.
           http://www.bhsi.org/stats.htm

Bicycling & Skating Tips - Some easy to remember and useful tips for staying safe while skating and biking.
           http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-resources-by-risk-area/bicycling-and-skating/bicycling-and-skating-safety.html

Guide to Bicycle Safety
http://www.partsgeek.com/brands/guide_to_bicycle_safety.html

Ride Your Bike Safely- from : MotoSport.com
http://www.motosport.com/atv/ride-your-bike-safely-article

Cyclists - from : DOE, United Kingdom
http://www.doeni.gov.uk/roadsafety/index/pedestrians_and_cyclists/cyclists.htm

		Illinois Traction System Trail

This website is a work in progress : Comments and additions may be e-mailed to : Bike Trail Comments © 2007 - 2012 by Wayne Hinton

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