Smoky Row Trail named after town’s history

NORTH ENGLISH — One of the newest trail additions in Iowa County may be one you don’t know about yet.

The Smoky Row Trail in North English is a grass trail of about a half-mile (a mile out-and-back) located off North Boland Avenue. The sign identifying the trail is right off the street.

The trail is on a piece of the town’s history and the trail’s name also reflects part of the town’s past.

The trail is on top of the old abandoned railway that used to run through the town.

“My uncle bought the land with the dream of making it a walking trail,” Pride in North English (PINE) committee member Sherry Moffit said.

“In 2012, he asked PINE to help him take care of the property and help make the walking trail. Before he passed away, he donated the land to the town. He wanted the town to use it.”

The name Smokey Row reflects the old brick-and-tile creamery and factory that was located by the head of the trail.

“The factories burned coal, and when I was growing up, it wasn’t Washington Street, it was always called Smokey Row,” Moffit said.

For a while, the grass walkway was unknown by many residents of the town and wasn’t maintained much. But now people in town know about and use the trail.

“In February of 2024, we put a call out to the town for volunteers to come down to clear trees and brush,” Moffit said.

A trail sign was added and the trail was advertised across social media last year.

“It was supposed to always be a trail, but nobody knew about it or where it was,” Moffit said. “The town knows about it now.”

Also in 2024, the town received a grant to add a small bridge built over the creek near the end of the trail.

Fast forward to 2025, and a small extension to the trail was cleared out past the bridge and residents have made plans to add a shelter.

“This spring we cleaned up and added a new extension slightly past the bridge,” Moffit said. “We want to put a shelter near the end or trail. There is also plans for a sign that gives the history of trail and some benches.”

The course is maintained all by volunteer efforts.

Although the trail might not be long, Moffit believes it’s a great addition to the town.

“It gets people a chance to kind of be in the country or timber and not just walking city streets,” Moffit said. “It’s a great addition to the town and a lot of people add it on their walks.”

The trail is one of several in the Iowa County area.

Williamsburg Trail Phase 2

In 2023, a 3/4 mile asphalt trail was added around the Williamsburg Recreaction Center property. Demand for such a trail was identified the year before.

“Through a series of surveys to residents and key stakeholders, it was identified that residents wanted trails in the community,” Iowa County Community Development director Laura Sauser said.

“The City did not have enough funds at the time, but several years later, enough funds were raised to build Phase 1 of the trail project.”

Now Phase 2 is in its fundraising phase. Once funding is available, Phase 2 will add another mile of trail that will connect to the Highland Ridge senior living campus.

“We'd like to build on this momentum and more than double the size of our current trail.” Sauser said. “This will allow users more options and also connect the senior center to the rest of the community.”

In 2024, the city was awarded $510,000 from Transportation Alternatives Program, but after a second cost estimate, more than $400,00 still needs to be fundraised.

“After the second estimate was received, significantly more funding is required,” Sauser said. “Initially, the number to raise was around $240,000.”

Several reasons have caused the uptick in money needed, including engineering costs.

Fundraising efforts underway, most recently with a Fourth of July 5K.

“The 5K event on the Fourth was a success,” Sauser said. “With around 100 participants, we raised close to $15,000.”

The city is also applying for other grants, with the hope of receiving more aid.

“If the grants are not received, the community will need to raise quite a substantial amount,” Sauser said.

Sauser believes the trail and its expansion are important to the town of Williamsburg.

“Trails offer numerous benefits to communities, and ongoing research continues to confirm this,” Sauser said. “It provides another way for people to get out and exercise for physical, social and mental health.”

“There is data that continues to show economic opportunities when a community has a trail system. Often people will travel for a trail and then get coffee or lunch, which contributes to the local businesses.”

Marengo Trail expansion

The trail expansion project of the Gateway Park trail in Marengo recently received a $20,000 grant from the Iowa County Community Foundation.

“This support brings us another step closer to creating a sustainable, accessible trail for everyone to enjoy,” the MarengoTrails Facebook page said in announcing the grant.

“We are so grateful to be a 2025 recipient of this grant and for the partnership and belief in our mission to connect our community through outdoor spaces.”

The grant check brought the total money up to around $100,000 of the $300k needed to fund the trail expansion, Marengo Community Development director Marissa Bral said.

Funds are now a third of the way to the goal.

The current trail around Gateway Park is about 1.7 miles (3.4 out-and-back).

The expansion project would add 2.9 miles of gravel trail, making it 4.6 miles from start to finish.

Only five or six months into fundraising, Bral is happy with the progress.

“We’ve received a lot of donations with our Be a Ton of Help campaign,“ Bral said. ”The community has been really helpful and supportive.“

A donation of $40 dollars equals one ton of gravel for the trail. Donations can be dropped off at Blackwall Fitness or the Marengo Community Development office in town, or paid on venmo (@marengotrails).