| Mill Towns State Trail | |
|---|---|
 Sign for the Mill Towns Trail inNorthfield | |
| Length | 3 mi (4.8 km) |
| Location | Rice County,Minnesota,United States |
| Designation | Minnesota state trail |
| Trailheads | Faribault (future) Dundas Northfield Randolph (future) Cannon Falls (future) |
| Use | Biking, hiking, in-line skating, cross-country skiing |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Season | Year-round |
| Sights | Cannon River,Archibald Mill,Waterford Bridge,Lake Byllesby |
| Hazards | Flooding |
| Surface | Asphalt, concrete |
| Website | Friends of the Mill Towns Trail |
TheMill Towns State Trail is a multi-use trail in development along theCannon River inMinnesota, United States. Currently a 3-mile-long (4.8 km)rail trail linkingNorthfield andDundas, the trail is planned to extend southward toFaribault and eastward toCannon Falls.
The rail line was surveyed in the late 1870s betweenRed Wing andWaterville though construction did not begin until 1882 by the Central Railway Company of Minnesota under the management ofA. B. Stickney. Stickney was head of the Minnesota & Northwestern Railroad which would later become theChicago Great Western Railway in 1891. The route fromRed Wing to Waterville was completed in 1882, and the route from Waterville to Mankato, Minnesota, was completed in 1887. By 1889, the line had been renamed Wisconsin, Minnesota & Pacific and was under the trusteeship of theRock Island railroad. The Rock Island sold the WM&P to the Chicago Great Western in the mid-1890s which operated the line until 1968 when the CGW was merged in to theChicago & Northwestern. The C&NW operated the line for a few years after the CGW merger, but abandoned it in the early 1970s. TheUnion Pacific Railroad then took over the line from Faribault to Northfield, while the localProgressive Railroad took over the line from Northfield to Cannon Falls.
The trail was built as a joint effort of the cities of Northfield and Dundas in 1998. In 2000, it became astate trail.[1]
The trail is expected to close therail trail gap between theChicago Great Western Railway sections ofFaribault andCannon Falls.[2] Once complete, the entire route fromMankato toRed Wing, then south toRochester, will be complete via theSakatah Singing Hills State Trail, the Mill Towns Trail, theCannon Valley Regional Trail, theGoodhue Pioneer State Trail, and theDouglas State Trail.
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