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Linking history: Hike and bike trail connects residents to parks, heritage
Photo courtesy of the City of McKinney – The entrance to the Wilson Creek Hike and Bike Trail at Jordan Road shows part of the 5.5-mile stretch of wooded trails that run from Hwy. 5 to Creekview Estates.
By Kelley Chambers, kchambers@starlocalnews.com, @KelleyChambers7 on Twitter
The Wilson Creek Hike and Bike Trail opened last week, creating a 5.5-mile stretch of greenway
from McKinney Boyd High School to Towne Lake.
The ribbon-cutting marked the culmination of twelve years of land acquisition, design and construction on the city's behalf. The Parks Development Department will ultimately complete the Wilson Creek Hike and Bike Trail from Stonebridge Drive north of U.S. 380 to Lake Lavon, a distance of 11 miles. It will also connect five community parks: Gray Branch Park, Bonnie Wenk Park, the Al Ruschhaupt Soccer Complex, Towne Lake and the landfill site east of Hwy. 5, which is to be converted to a community park.
"The greenway is a very passive, pastoral area," Brainerd said. "You get down in there and you don't feel like you're in a suburban area at all. You don't see any buildings or roads, all you see is wildlife."
Having been involved in this project since he started working for the city, Brainerd said this segment was the last piece in the multi-phase project. The city is also currently working on completing Bonnie Wenk Park just north of the trail, which is scheduled to open May 2013.
"You can see the smiles on cyclists when they go down this thing. It's a really different kind of experience for people in McKinney," Brainerd said. "As people come to know it, they're going to really enjoy it."
The new trail also uncovered a piece of McKinney history just east of Hardin Bridge, as construction unearthed artifacts from the Caddo and Wichita tribes dating from 2,000 B.C. to 700 A.D. Some of the items found included arrowheads, bison teeth, deer bone and remnants of two fire pits, Brainerd said.
QR codes will be set up along the trail, allowing users to access images of the artifacts from this prehistoric barbeque from their mobile devices, Brainerd said.
"I firmly believe that knowledge of the history of a place fosters respect and understanding which translates into stewardship," he said. "I was excited to see the ancient Indian artifacts, and believe that a significant number of McKinney residents will react in the same manner. I am in awe of materials that were shaped with human hands as much as 4,000 years ago."
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