The railroad up the Sequatchie Valley was completed to Dunlap in 1888 and the railroad was finished to Pikeville in 1891. The Rail Road Station at Dunlap (called the Depot) was a large yellow building situated in the space now occupied by Citizen Tri-Count Banks Depot Center. It was demolished in 1974 after an offer by the Rail Road to give the historic building to the local government for the fee of one dollar. City and County leaders at that time could not envision anything useful for the building and it was lost. Years later the abandoned rail line right of way was offered to be used as a 28 mile long bike trail up the valley from Jasper. The Governor of Tennessee came to Dunlap and with City and County leaders of Jasper, Dunlap, & Whitwell posed for press photos for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. They accepted the check to acquire the right of way from the railroad but a few weeks later sent the check back to Nashville as they said no one was interested in a bike trail. I hope that this lack of vision does not prevail as I look and see the vacant store fronts of the old buildings in the valley. If the bike trail had become a 28 mile long park, think of the small businesses that could have sprouted along the route as visitors from all over the country tried out a bike trail with a one percent grade from Jasper to Dunlap. Even a disabled person in a wheel chair could have used this route but that did not happen as those in charge saw no need. Hopefully the history of the valley is not lost and leaders will be impressed not to forget the mistakes of history and repeat them. Look at these images and see what used to be and what could have been. In nearby Chattanooga millions of dollars have been spent to build the river walk for jogging and bike riding and thousands use it daily. Quality of life developments such as open space parks are recruitment tools for job growth. A prospective job creator looks at the pride that people have in their community as a prime reason to relocate to an area.The Sequatchie Valley Historical Association was organized by local citizens in 1984 due to these important losses to our history.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 02:43:35 +0000
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