CHICKAMAUGA — By the end of the year, a small community could start reaping the benefits of a connection between its downtown and the first and largest national military park in the U.S.
Public and nonprofit officials broke ground Wednesday for the Battlefield Connector Trail in the city of Chickamauga. Once completed, the about-2-mile trail will connect the city with the Chickamauga Battlefield, a unit of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. The trail connects Wilder Road to Osburn Road to allow pedestrians and cyclists to traverse between the battlefield and the city’s downtown, according to a posted map at the groundbreaking site.
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At the groundbreaking ceremony, officials lauded the trail as a recreational and economic boon for Chickamauga.
New trail will connect downtown Chickamauga to battlefield
“So, right now, less than 1% of visitors to the national military park find their way into downtown Chickamauga,” Trust for Public Land Tennessee State Director Noel Durant said in an interview after the groundbreaking. “So, annual visitation to Chickamauga from a tourist perspective is around 20,000 people. If 1 in 20 visitors to the battlefield decided to make a trip to the city of Chickamauga and utilize the Battlefield Connector, that is a significant number of visitors.
“We would be almost close to 10 times the amount of visitation that is currently happening,” Durant continued. “So, it would be a very significant impact for a small community that needs more economic opportunity.”
In the Tennessee Valley region, many people live in Northwest Georgia, but much of the economic activity happens across the state line in Chattanooga, Durant said. A trail project like the Battlefield Connector creates an opportunity for a smaller community to enjoy the benefits of the regional tourism economy, he said. Chickamauga had a population of 2,917 as of the 2020 U.S. census.
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Walker County Board of Commissioners Chair Angie Teems added on to Durant’s comments.
“We lose about 75% of our residents to Chattanooga every day, going to work there,” Teems said in an interview. “So, they’re spending a lot of their time, their money there, and then if they come back to live here, that’s great. But, their main part of their day is there.
“We want to try more globally for Walker County to bring in tourism, not only that but also businesses, so people are working here, living here, loving here, playing here,” Teems said. “And that will not only enhance the local community and economy of Chickamauga, but Walker County as a whole.”
Funding for the new trail includes a just-over-$434,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission in addition to grants from the Lyndhurst, Riverview, Jewel Memorial and Ironman foundations, according to a press release from Coeo Strategies on behalf of the Trust for Public Land. Both Walker County and the city of Chickamauga are putting forth $50,000 for the project, the release said.
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The new trail comes as Walker County continues work on its signature park, Adventure Acres in Rossville, which Teems said should open later this year. The trail also comes as Chickamauga experiences a boost, with new businesses and events helping to breathe life back into the city.
Former Chickamauga City Manager John Culpepper initiated the idea of connecting the city with the battlefield before the end of his time in office in 2013, Culpepper said in an interview. Time ran out on Culpepper, and the trail did not happen then. But, now with the trail coming to fruition, Culpepper said he feels blessed.
“I’ll be 80 here Oct. 28,” Culpepper said, “and it’s going to be one of the highlights of my life to see this trail completed. It’s just something I didn’t get completed, and so it’s a blessing to me. It really is, really is.”
Contact community reporter Sam Still at sstill@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6579.