River To River Trail a monument dedication

The River-to-River Trail Society invites all interested members of the public to the unveiling and dedication of a monument to John O’Dell and the River-to-River Trail, on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. no matter the weather. A brief ceremony will be held at the monument, on the grounds of the Herod Springs Baptist Church, on Route 34 in Herod, Pope County, Illinois. The River-to-River trail was only a dream, which had been an aspiration for decades until the 1990s, when John O’Dell set out on foot to blaze a trail from the Ohio River to the Mississippi River. Mr. O’Dell enlisted the aid of the USDA Forest Service, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and many private citizens who generously contributed their time to help make the dream a reality. Today the trail stretches 159 miles between Elizabethtown and Battery Rock on the Ohio River to Grand Tower on the Mississippi, and is one of the premier hiking and horseback trails in the Midwest.   It is a priceless resource for outdoor recreation and tourism in Southern Illinois. For questions, please contact Society President Bill Gilmour at 270-331-1553.