New Underground Railroad Bicycle Tour Route Passes Through Ypsilanti & Ann Arbor

[Bob Krzewinski]

New Underground Railroad Bicycle Tour Route Passes Through Ypsilanti & Ann Arbor

 

This spring the Adventure Cycling Association formally established a spur route of it’s Underground Railroad bicycle tour route that passes through Ypsilanti, as well as Ann Arbor and Saline.

 

The Underground Railroad Bicycle Route (UGRR) honors the bravery of those who fled bondage and those who provided shelter. This route passes points of interest and historic sites along a 2,008-mile corridor. Beginning in Mobile, Alabama – a busy port for slavery during the pre-civil war era – the route goes north following rivers through Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Waterways, as well as the North Star, were often used by freedom seekers as a guide in their journeys to escape slavery. The tour route ends at Owen Sound, a town founded by freedom seekers in 1857. Owen Sound is located on the southern side of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay.

 

In Ypsilanti, the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route travels along Clark Road, Oakwood Street, Michigan Avenue and Grove Road, urging visiting cyclists to visit historical sights along the way. Specifically the route recommends in Ypsilanti a visit to…

• The Elijah McCoy Commemorative Marker at the Ypsilanti Public Library commemorates Elijah McCoy, famous African-American inventor who had more patents than any other black inventor up to that time. His emancipated father and enslaved mother escaped with help from Underground Railroad conductors and then settled in Ypsilanti before the Civil War.
• The Leonard Chase House behind the Thompson Block building -- Leonard Chase housed freedom seekers and Mrs. Eurotas Morton brought bread for them from her house in the 200 block of N. River Street.

The Underground Railroad route also allows bicyclists to travel on sections of Washtenaw County’s Border To Border Trail. 

 

The Adventure Cycling Association was established to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle. The non-profit group helps cyclists explore the landscapes and history of America for fitness, fun, and self-discovery and has created one of the largest bicycle tour route networks in the world at 41,399 miles (and growing). Established in 1973 as Bikecentennial, Adventure Cycling is the premier bicycle travel organization in North America with 44,500 members nationwide and is headquartered in Missoula, Montana.

 

 

Washtenaw County Underground Railroad Bicycle Route map section - http://bordertoborder.intuitwebsites.com/Underground_Railroad_Map.pdf

Complete Underground Railroad Bicycle Route map - http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/ugrrmap.cfm

Background on the Underground Railroad Bicycle Tour Project - http://www.adventurecycling.org/ugrr/ugrrprojectdesc.cfm