THE B-LINE TRAIL

HISTORY

The B-Line Trail has a rich history in Bloomington. It started as the Monon railroad in the 1850s, going from Louisville to Chicago. Monon was the nickname since a major intersection was in monon indiana. Monon is a  Potawatomi word for “swift running”.  

They used to ship 16 train-car loads to Showers Brothers' Furniture every day. 16 percent of all furniture in the US was made at Shower Bros. They also transported limestone from quarries around Bloomington. It was eventually used for building the Empire State Building and the Pentagon. 

The train carried IU students to Bloomington. Some train cars were painted red and white for IU and some were painted black and gold for Purdue because it also stopped there. Some students may have ridden on The Hoosier, which was a passenger train with a dining car and an observation deck. 

Did you know that the monon was used to carry Abraham Lincoln's body for his funeral procession after his assassination? It also transported Union forces during the Civil War along with ammunition, supplies, and medicine. 

It stopped transporting passengers in the 1960s.  In 2004, they stopped using it as a railroad. In 2008, the city of Bloomington purchased it and turned it into a trail.

ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY

The B-line Trail has lots to offer. Here  are some of the things. The B-Line trail is 7 miles long, connecting to the Bloomington Rail Trail and the Clear Creek Trail. So there is a lot of space for running, biking, walking your dog, and many other activities. One of the many reasons why the B-Line Trail is important is because it safely connects many parts of Bloomington with a biking and walking path. 

Let’s take a look at some of the different places along the path. When you're walking on it, you will find a place called the Warehouse near Switchyard Park. It opens after school hours and it's a really fun place to take kids. It has snacks and trampolines and a little kids area. You will also see  a place called BloomingFoods. It has good food and  it's healthy. It is also fresh and it sells local products. There's also a park called Switchyard. It's a fun place to go in the summer because it has a splash pad and a dog park. Depending on when you go, you will also see the Farmer's Market. It has a bunch of stands for local farmers and businesses. The stands have things that people here in Bloomington made. You will also see a place called Wonderlab. You can go in and there's a bunch of science activities like a nail bed that does not hurt and it's all really fun. 

Not only do they have many fun locations along the trail, there’s also lots of art made by local artists. For example, you might see the “Collaborative Angel Project”. It is a sculpture of an angel made from recycled materials by Joe LaMantia. The materials were bicycle parts, traffic signs, and automobile parts. There’s also the “Bloomington Banquet.” It was made in honor of the Showers Brothers Furniture Factory. There’s a fish on the top of the sculpture because it represents nourishment. That’s why it’s near the Farmer’s Market. Finally, there is “Our Hometown”, a mural created by members of the Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington summer program. It represents the playfulness and diversity of Bloomington. 

Overall, there are many fun activities that you will find along the B-Line Trail. If you ever get the time to do it, you should walk along it.