Updated:  July 23, 2022

Part 1: Closure – Railroad Crossing – Indian Hill Rd  

Part 3. Closure RR Xing, Indian Hill Rd: Public Hearing Required?

Correspondence from Groups Outside Brown County working to open up the Tecumseh Trail. 

July 20, 2022. Presentation – Commissioner meeting. A Knobstone Hiking Trail Association (KTHA) founding member and attorney, Tony Abbott, will present a resolution we hope the county commissioners will adopt to make it clear that the Indian Hill Road Railroad Crossing closure was not intended to close the Tecumseh Trail. If they will adopt the resolution, this may start a process to open the crossing for pedestrians.

• • Excellent presentation making the case for a decision to open up the Indian Hill Rd. Rail Road Crossing for pedestrian traffic. Standing room only crowd. Commissions are supportive of re-opening to pedestrian traffic pending review and advice from the county attorneys.
    • Audio of the Presentation: Begins at 19:15
    • High resolution PDF – 43 pages.This may help people follow the Tecumseh Trail segment of the audio record from July 20, 2022, meeting.  Statutes on pages 9 and 11 figure closely in Tony Abbott’s argument that Brown County can unilaterally reopen crossing DOT# 292 193F to pedestrian traffic, per the Amendment to Resolution No. 2020-5-6-000 KHTA is offering Brown County.  
    • KHTA-Presentation-BC-20July2022-summary – One page
    • Amendment to Resolution – 2 pages
  • Facebook Post – BC Matters – Shared post from DINO Trail Runners

Tecumseh and Knobstone Trails.  The Tecumseh Trail is closed from State Road 45 to the parking area south of Beanblossom Creek.  See the Tecumseh Trail Guide for shuttle options around this closure.

VIDEO: Approach from the SOUTH, Railroad Crossing at Indian Hill Road.  Illustrates the sightlines to include a Train. What is the risk of adding a pedestrian crossing? 

VIDEO: Approach from the NORTH Railroad Crossing at Indian Hill Road. Indian Hill RR Crossing at the Tecumseh Trail from the north. It’s a short hike from Highway 45 south on closed Indian Hill Road.  

Jan 25, 2022.  Gov Eric Holcomb. I’m honored to be recognized by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy as the Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champion. When you look at vibrant communities, one thing in common—the common denominator—is outdoor amenities. People want to work where they want to live. Trails were that X-factor.

Brown County Matters Facebook Post 

• • Mar 26, 2022. Facebook Post – Backpacker Magazine – editors note, Letter to the Governor
  • Mar 12, 2022. Facebook Post – Brown County Matters – Sending a Letter to the Governor
  • Nov 23, 2021. Facebook Post – Brown County Matters – Part 2

Part 1 – Closure – Railroad Crossing – Indian Hill Rd.  Provides the history on closing the RailRoad Crossing and Trail. Includes updates on the current status.

Most Current Article – Brown County Democrat. Oct 14, 2021. Facing a new challenge: Route changes due to railroad crossing closure, By Abigail Youmans . Brown and Morgan counties have hosted runners in a variety of distance events during the Tecumseh Trail Challenge every year since 2003.

• • The trail has been a destination for runners from dozens of states who participate in the DINO (Do INdiana off-road) race, with participation growing to more than 700 in 2010. But now the point-to-point race route has been turned into a loop due to the Indian Hill Road railroad crossing closure. As of Oct. 8, DINO and the Indiana Trail Running Association had no progress with creating a pedestrian railroad crossing, forcing them to make the Tecumseh Trail Challenge a looped route. DINO Director Brian Holzhausen said it was a “difficult decision.”

• 1 July 2021  Closed ahead: Tecumseh Trail users lobbying for pedestrian crossing at Indian Hill, by Suzannah Couch

 Indiana Recreational Use Statute 2020

Outside Groups

Facebook Group – 5.1K members. A Guide to the Knobstone Trail: Indiana’s Longest Footpath

Correspondence from Groups Outside Brown County working to open up the Tecumseh Trail – (KHTA – Knobstone Hiking Trail Association, Indiana Legislative Trails Caucus Co-Chairs, Do Indiana Offroad (DINO), Chris May, State Representative,  Matt Pierce,  Indiana House of Representatives.)

Jan 4, 2022. Backpacker Magazine. The 50 Best Hikes in the U.S. With the help of our friends and readers, we set out to find the best trail in all 50 states. From epic thru-hikes to short jaunts, these were the ones that rose to the top.

• •  [Editor’s Note: Indiana’s Tecumseh Trail has been closed since May 2020 from State Road 45 to the parking area south of Beanblossom Creek. The trail is bisected by a railroad crossing. Hikers who cross the tracks or divert to an adjacent road will be trespassing. The Knobstone Hiking Trail Association is working on a solution to reopen the trail.] 
  • Received from Backpacker Magazine (on 28 February 2022): “I’m reaching out in response to a message … about an entry in a recent issue of Backpacker Magazine, that a trail recommended in the issue has been closed due to a railway intersection. I want to … assure you that we’ll publish a correction in the upcoming issue of Backpacker and online alerting readers to the closure. The trails in this particular feature were suggested by readers, and this one must have slipped through the cracks of our fact-checking. We certainly don’t want to encourage hikers to trespass at the closure.”

20 Sep 2021. Letter. Indiana Legislative Trails Caucus Co-Chairs TO Brown County Commissioners and  Mr. Peter Ray Vice President of Engineering, The Indiana Railroad Company  – Excerpt:

• As co-chairs of the bipartisan, bicameral Indiana Legislative Trails Caucus, we are writing to urge you to reestablish a pedestrian crossing for the Tecumseh Hiking Trail across the Indiana Railroad at Indian Hill Road. The rail crossing closure has blocked through-hiking on the Tecumseh Hiking Trail that connects with a number of other trails to form a trail system spanning over 160 miles and 8 counties. Without the pedestrian crossing, the only way to get across the railroad is to take a five to six mile walking detour.
  This is a significant impediment for through hikers and defeats the goal of having a continuous trail system.

 Aug 21, 2021 Do Indiana Offroad (DINO) Newsletter. Indiana’s premier off-road cycling, running, and multi-sport events.  Aug 9, 2021 An open letter to Indiana Railroad, Brown County Commissioners, Indiana DNR, and all involved with the closure of Indian Hill Road south of IN45: Excerpts:

• Closure of Indian Hill Road at the railroad crossing imposes obvious and severe challenges on local residents. Closure also challenges the wide range of recreational activities and user groups that depend on passage through the crossing.
  Complete closure of the Tecumseh Trail at this key point effectively shuts down the potential to complete long-distance hikes and trail runs.
• DINO is one of the groups that depend upon this vital connection point along the Tecumseh Trail. We know with certainty that hikers, backpackers, cyclists, and local residents all depend upon passage through this crossing. We expect that hunters, birdwatchers, and other outdoor enthusiasts also feel the effect of the closure.

Aug 6, 2021. PDF – Letter Chris May to Peter Ray lN Trail Aug 6 2021

• • I am writing to urge the Indiana Railroad Company to establish a pedestrian crossing for the Tecumseh Hiking Trail at Indiana Hill Road (IHR) in Brown County. The closing of this rail crossing impacts many hikers along the Trail. 

Aug 3, 2021.  KHTA Board of Directors, Letter TO Mr. Peter Ray, The Indiana Railroad Company, Excerpt:

• To date, the Knobstone Hiking Trail Association (KHTA) Board of Directors has received
  no response to its letter of May 27, 2021, requesting that the Indiana Railroad Company
  (IRRC) join with KHTA and other stakeholders in creating a pedestrian crossing at the location where Indian Hill Road (IHR) crosses the IRRC right of way near IN-45 in Trevlac, Brown County, Indiana.
• An article in the Brown County Democrat, highlighting the present status of the
  Tecumseh closing at IHR, points to a number of these stakeholders: the KHTA, Hoosier Hikers Council, DINO (the Tecumseh races it organizes and the runners that participate), the Indiana Trail Running Association, and thousands of individuals hiking the Tecumseh for purposes ranging from day hikes to longer distance multiday hikes by Scouts training for Philmont.

8 July 2021. Letter: Matt Pierce,  Indiana House of Representatives to Mr. Peter Ray, Vice President of Engineering, The Indiana Railroad Company.  Excerpt:

• I am writing to urge the Indiana Railroad Company to establish a pedestrian crossing for the Tecumseh Hiking Trail at Indian Hill Road (IHR) in Brown County. The decision to close the rail crossing at this location has resulted in the blocking of the Trail, adversely impacting hikers. The Tecumseh Hiking Trail is 42 miles long. It adjoins the Knobstone Hiking Trail in the Hoosier National Forest and connects with a number of other trails to form a trail system spanning over 160 miles and 8 counties. The rail crossing closure has blocked through-hiking on this trail system. Without a pedestrian crossing, the only way to get across the railroad is to take a five to six mile walking detour. For those seeking to backpack or hike across the trail, this is a significant barrier.

26 May 2021.  KHTA Board of Directors Letter To   Mr. Peter Ray, The Indiana Railroad Company, Excerpt:

• Recent closing of the rail crossing at Indian Hill Road (IHR) in Brown County bisects
  the Tecumseh Hiking Trail (part of the longest continuous forest hiking trail in Indiana),
  creating insuperable difficulties for the Indiana hiking public. Regrettably, closing was enacted absent prior consultation with the full range of stakeholders – regional and recreation – directly impacted by, or looking for benefit from, this resource.