I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1520

To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the historic transportation routes in the States of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, 

and Ohio that led to the forks of the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for study for potential addition to the National Trails System. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 31, 2003

Mr. MURTHA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Resources 

A BILL

To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the 

historic transportation routes in the States of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Ohio that led to 

the forks of the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 

for study for potential addition to the National Trails 

System.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Forks of the Ohio Na5 tional Scenic Trail Study Act of 2003’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) A key to the growth of the United States 

4 as a world power was the opening of America’s great 

5 heartland drained by the Ohio River and continuing 

6 downstream to the Mississippi River and Gulf of 

7 Mexico. 

8 (2) The significance of this region is evident in 

9 the fact that the War for Empire was triggered by 

10 claims and counter-claims to the land by both the 

11 French and the British in the 1750’s, and by the 

12 central role that the region played in America’s 

13 transformation from an agrarian to an industrial so14 ciety. 

15 (3) The Forks of the Ohio National Scenic 

16 Trail traces many of these historical transportation 

17 routes to the beginning of the Ohio River, including 

18 the efforts of George Washington to find a primarily 

19 water-based route from Wills Creek (now Cum20 berland, Maryland) to the Forks of the Ohio (now 

21 Pittsburgh); the route used by the French from 

22 Lake Erie to French Creek and down the Allegheny 

23 River to the Forks; the route of the Pennsylvania 

24 Mainline Canal from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh that 

25 greatly improved transportation to Pittsburgh a cen26 tury later; and the historic railroad corridors into 
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HR 1520 IH 

1 the region, several of which followed for the most 

2 part these earlier routes. 

3 (4) Many of these rail corridors are now aban4 doned and have been or are being converted into 

5 trails for hiking and bicycling. 

6 (5) The designation of these trails as a national 

7 scenic trail—

8 (A) would offer unique opportunities for 

9 nonmotorized transportation and recreation 

10 that would expose trail users to the rich history 

11 of the War for Empire and development of 

12 transportation, coal mining, rail building and 

13 other industries that made the United States a 

14 rich and powerful Nation; and 

15 (B) would give appropriate recognition to 

16 the frontiersmen who explored the region; the 

17 French, British and Indians who fought the 

18 War for Empire; the pioneers and later the im19 migrants who settled the region, built the trans20 portation systems, mined the coal, poured the 

21 steel, etc. 
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HR 1520 IH 

1 SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF FORKS OF THE OHIO HISTORIC 

2 TRANSPORTATION ROUTES FOR STUDY FOR 

3 POTENTIAL ADDITION TO THE NATIONAL 

4 TRAILS SYSTEM. 

5 Section 5(c) of the National Trails System Act (16 

6 U.S.C. 1244(c)) is amended by adding at the end the fol7 lowing new paragraph: 

8 ‘‘(XX) FORKS OF THE OHIO NA9 TIONAL SCENIC TRAIL.—The Forks of 

10 the Ohio National Scenic Trail, trac11 ing or approximating the historic 

12 transportation routes to the forks of 

13 the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Penn14 sylvania, including routes used by 

15 British and French military forces be16 fore and during the French and In17 dian War, the route of the Pennsyl18 vania Mainline Canal and subsequent 

19 canal systems, and various railroad 

20 corridors, including historic rail lines 

21 that were used primarily for coal 

22 hauling. The routes covered by the 

23 study cross portions of the States of 

24 Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Vir25 ginia, and Ohio.’’.

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