Marty Buckman Daily Express
For nearly 30 years, local resident Marty Haynes has blazed a trail that has been both a joy and a burden to him. In fact, Thousands is expected to have a bike trail that circles the entire Hills State Park his day.
Over the past 25 years, sometimes with the help of others, sometimes alone, Haynes has completed and maintained 13 miles of trails through the park. For his hard work and dedication he has been recognized by three different magazines. In 1999, “Detours” magazine, which calls itself the “Midwest Exploration Guide,” tells how Haines first pitched the idea to state officials to build a trail around the lake.
When asked how many people he represented, Haynes answered them 100. The truth was he was the only one.
With approval to build the trail, Haynes did his best to recruit others to the project. , fighting Beaver’s army who have other plans in the area.
“I called newspapers, radio stations and television stations and said I would do it,” Haynes said in the article. “I had the tools and everything ready and thought. I don’t know where to put everyone.”
Only two volunteers showed up to help him that first day. He called the Boy Scouts, the Truman State Student Organization, and lawbreakers in need of community service time, but recruiting helpers was nearly impossible.
However, Haynes took responsibility for the project, built the trail with his own hands, and appreciated the few people who volunteered to join him. I found a consistent volunteer named Rob Stilley, a college student. Haynes, who dreamed of building a trail around the lake, settled on his thirteen miles (13 miles) which he created and later gave the rest of the trail to a more well-funded entity.
According to the Detour article, after many setbacks and battles with state officials, the trail opened in July 1998, and Thousand Hills State Park gave Haines 1,000 hours of personal volunteer work to open the trail. Awarded the Community Service Award in recognition of its construction.
In the spring of 2000, Missouri Resources Magazine, published by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, wrote about Haynes in the magazine’s “Resource Honor Roll” section.
“Bicyclists can cycle through a portion of Adare County’s Thousand Hills State Park, thanks to Marty Haynes spending thousands of hours developing the 13 miles of trail.” Over the Dam You can access it. “The persistence paid off,” said the magazine. “Two years later, Haynes completed the work and Thousand He Hills State Park bike trails were opened to the public.”
In July 2022, the Adare County Historian, the quarterly magazine of the Adare County Historical Society, dedicated an entire issue to celebrating the 70th anniversary of Forest Lake and Thousand Hills State Park. In a six-page spread titled, “Thanks to Marty Haynes, Ride the Mountain Trails of Thousand Hills State Park,” Society member and author Pam Silvera explores the trail’s history and Haynes’ dreams. We documented the behind-the-scenes efforts to make it happen. Bike path in the forest. The story is accompanied by 20 photographs of him, documenting the long hours Haynes spent clearing brush and stumps from the mountain to provide a safe playground for his bike enthusiasts from across the state and beyond. doing.
“Marty’s plan for the 13-mile trail was to start at the trailhead just past the entrance to the park and connect to the other end of the trail ending at the Rainbow Basin Bridge.” His confrontation with city officials to grant access. “To quote Marty,” Silvera wrote: Kirksville Daily Express, It was behind City Hall! I told them about my problem that the city wouldn’t let me cross. The newspaper lady ran a story on the front page the next day with the headline “Trail Blazer Needs Help.”
According to the article, Haynes was summoned to the floodway the next day by city officials (just Haynes, not the newspaper) who denied Haynes’ request and was told that access would be granted to cross the floodway.
“I asked, ‘When?'” the article states. “He said, ‘Now!’
The magazine continued to report on the hardships and successes Haines endured, and the dedication to the projects he brought to fruition.
Haines continues to work and ride the trail, making it popular not only with mountain bikers, but also with hikers, walkers, and the many tourists who visit the area.
“Thank you, Marty Haynes!” concludes the article.
