Trail Work Day - June 27th - 8:00am - Turkey Creek Trail
The Joplin Trails Coalition has a trail work day scheduled for Saturday, June 27th. We will meet at 8:00am at the parking area of the Turkey Creek Trail. The parking area is located on Murphy Blvd just west of Main Street.
Bring clippers, saws, rakes, chainsaws, weed eaters, work gloves, and water. We will be clearing out brush and trees that have fallen during recent storms. There is a LOT of work to do on the trail and we need as many people as possible to help out.
Directions: From Main Street, turn west onto Murphy, when you go under the railroad bridge, the parking area is on your immediate right. The green arrow in the map below is pointing at the Trail Head Parking area.
View Larger Map
Joplin Trails Coaliton Meeting - July 14, 2009
The next meeting of the Joplin Trails Coalition will be held July 14, 2009 at Pizza by Stout in Joplin, MO. The meeting will start at 6:30pm. Everyone is invited to attend and take part in the planning for the future of our trails!
Ruby Jack Phase 1 Completed!
Phase 1 of the Ruby Jack Trail has been completed!!! 3 Miles of trail are finished and ready for walkers, runners, and bikers. The surface on the finished portions of the trail consist of hard packed crushed rock like the Frisco Greenway surface.
New JTC Officers, Board Members Elected (4/21/2009)
Our annual elections were held at the April 21, 2009 JTC meeting and here are the results: President: Perry Johnson, Vice-President: Jim Collins, Treasurer: Carrie Lowden, Secretary: Braden Horst. We also elected a new Board of Directors consisting of: Paul Teverow, Debbie Johnson, and Ed Grundy.
New Bridge At Ruby Jack Trail Head
Our fund raising efforts over the past few years are now paying off! A new concrete bridge has been installed at the Carthage Trail Head of the Ruby Jack Trail! It is just past the main gate. Below are pictures of the new bridge, click on them to see them full-sized.
Local Boy Scout Chooses Ruby Jack Trail For Eagle Rank Service Project
Garret Lambert of Boy Scout Troop 10 in Joplin recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout. One of the requirements for becoming an Eagle Scout is to plan and carry out a service project that will provide lasting benefit to the community. Garret chose to make and install mile markers along the entire 16 miles of the Ruby Jack Trail. He led a group of Scouts in surveying the trail with GPS units, making the mile markers, and installing them along the trail. The Joplin Trails Coalition would like to thank Garret and the Scouts for their contribution to the Ruby Jack Trail and would also like to congratulate Garret for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, a very prestigous accomplishment.
Reminder - Hunting Is NOT Allowed On The Ruby Jack or Frisco Greenway Trails
No Hunting
Allowed
The Joplin Trails Coalition would like to remind everyone that hunting of any type is not allowed on either the Ruby Jack or Frisco Greenway Trails. The "purple box" symbols posted along on some signs along the trails (see picture at left) signifies "No Hunting Allowed." If you encounter anyone who is hunting on any of the trails, please report the incident to the local or county police. We appreciate everyone's cooperation as this will help keep the trails safe.
2008 Maple Leaf Ride T-Shirts Available
Click on the image
for a full size view.
A limited number of the 2008 Maple Leaf Ride T-Shirts are available! All you need to do to get one is make a $10.00 donation to the Joplin Trails Coalition. All funds collected will go towards the completion of the Ruby Jack Trail. Remember, the JTC is a
501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organzation and all contributions are tax deductible. Get yours today and help us complete the Ruby Jack!
Note: Only L, XL and XXL sizes are available.
A Note From The JTC President (Posted 11/03/2008)
Hello all JTC supporters!
Debbie and I went to Carthage Sunday afternoon and Jasper County has mowed and brushed back up to CR 200. IT LOOKS GREAT!!!!
Thanks to all who walked and policed the trail up to this point.
We are still having signs stolen and vandalized on the trail. Please contact Jasper County Police if you see or know of any dirt bikes, 4 wheelers on the trail or vandalism of the no motorized vehicle signs and posts!
Thanks for all your support
Perry Johnson,
President
Joplin Trails Coalition
Feedback And Comments Received
The JTC has received some comments and feedback recently.
"Stewart" writes:
A friend of mine and I went to see what the deal was about the Ruby Jack Trail. We walked it a few miles at a time. We laugh so hard every time one of us would go ugh as we ate another spider web. We knocked them down one after the other with our home made walking sticks as we made our way along the Ruby Jack Trail. We walked it in about 4 mile segments for four days. We thought we had climed Mt. Everest when we finished. We decided to do it again. We started in our home town of Carthage and walked four miles. Some vast improvements had been made those first miles and it got us all excited again. We can't wait untill the Ruby Jack is in as good of condition as the Frisco Greenway Trail. We walk four miles a day somewhere during the week and I can't wait untill it is finished. People are excited when we tell them we have been walking the trails, so I think all the trails have a great future. Once again, thank you for all your hard work. We have walked the Frisco Greenway Trail too."
"Michelle" writes:
"I wanted to thank you for giving permission to place a geocache on the Ruby-Jack trail. So far it has been pretty popular, and it will surely give the trail a little more recognition."
New JTC Powerpoint Presentation
We have a new powerpoint presentation that describes the JTC, what we do, our goals, and what we hope to accomplish. Anyone interested in the JTC or wants to know where the money we raise goes should check it out. You can download it
here.
2008 Maple Leaf Bike Ride A Huge Success!
The 2008 Maple Leaf Bike Ride was a huge success this year. A total of 270 riders participated - more than ever before! It was a beautiful day for riding and everyone enjoyed the ride. Most of the comments made by returning riders were about how they liked the additional restroom facilities provided this year. See, we do listen to all rider feedback! The JTC would like to thank all the riders and sponsors who made this event a success and hope to see all of you at next year's ride! Below are some pictures from the ride - click on any picture to see it full sized.
Joplin Trails In The News (09/17/2008)
The Carthage Press featured a story in the September 17, 2008 edition about the new trail head sign at the Carthage Ruby Jack trail head. Click
here to read the story at the Carthage Press web site.
Carthage Ruby Jack Trail Head Sign Installed
A new sign marking the Carthage trail head for the Ruby Jack Trail has been finished and installed. The new sign matches the trail head signs on the Frisco Greenway Trail and looks absolutely fabulous! The GPS Coordinates for the trail head are:
N 37° 10.547' W 94° 20.701'. Click on the coordinates for a detailed map of the trail head. Click on the picture below for a full size picture.
Frisco Greenway Trail Head Sign And Mile Markers Installed
A new sign marking the St. Louis Avenue / Zora Street trail head for the Frisco Greenway Trail has been finished and installed. GPS Coordinates for the St Louis Avenue / Zora Street trail head:
N 37° 06.726' W 94° 29.627'. Click on the coordinates for a detailed map of the trail head. Also installed on the Frisco Greenway Trail were brand new mile markers. The pictures below show the new trail head sign and mile markers being intalled. Click on them for full size pictures.
Joplin Trails In The News (08/28/2008)
The Joplin Globe featured a picture on page 3A of the August 28, 2008 edition showing Ed Grundy, Larry Buckmaster, Braden Horst, and Don Kendrick installing the new Frisco Greenway trailhead sign at the Zora/St. Louis street trailhead. The picture was only in the print edition of the Globe and isn't available online.
Feedback And Comments Received
The JTC has received some comments and feedback recently. The 08/25/2008
Joplin Globe article generated the following comments:
"trailrider writes:
Cookie, the Carthage trail head is across the street from the city golf course. There is a brand new sign at the parking area and there is a map and GPS coords for the Carthage trail head at the JTC website: www.joplintrailscoalition.org/ruby_jack.html
cookie writes:
Can someone tell me exactly where the Ruby Jack trail starts? I have looked unsuccessfully....
mobiker writes:
The Ruby Jack Trail is a great example of what a group of civic minded people can accomplish. This trail already benefits the local people in this area by providing a safe and beautiful area for walking, hiking, and biking. Every community in the area stands to benefit from this trail in the long run. Many thanks to the Joplin Trails Coalition for their efforts on both the Ruby Jack and the Frisco Greenway Trails.
morunner writes:
Thank you Joplin Trails Coalition for providing the citizens of this area with such a FANTASTIC place to walk, hike, run, and ride our bikes. This is one of the GEMS of this area and we appreciate your organization for developing, cleaning, and maintaining the Frisco and now the new Ruby Jack trails. thank you!"
And a visitor to the JTC website left this comment:
Rob writes:
"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
I have been using the Frisco Trail for the past 7-8 years. I thoroughly enjoy your efforts to provide us (citizens of the Joplin area) with a nice, scenic place to walk, hike, and run.
I am a runner and use the trail almost every day! I live in Royal Heights and it is my 'escape' from the real world.
Thank you again for all that you do!!
I am sending in my $25.00 to become a member. I also plan to add you to my myspace as well. Don't forget to make a FACEBOOK account as well. There is a whole network of people in the area who use facebook.....some use it more than myspace."
Joplin Trails In The News (08/25/2008)
The Joplin Globe recently featured the Ruby Jack Trail on the front page of the August 25, 2008 edition. JTC President Perry Johnson and Debbie and Josie Johnson were featured.
Click here to read the story online.
Joplin Trails In The News (07/27/2008)
The Joplin Globe recently featured the Frisco Greenway Trail and the Ruby Jack Trail in a special pullout section in the July 27, 2008 edition. The Globe has an entire web site dedicated to archival stories about outdoor recreational facilities in our region, including several trails. Check it out
here. You can jump directly to the
Frisco Greenway or
Ruby Jack Trail pages.
Joplin Roadrunners Make Donation To JTS
Many thanks go to the
Joplin Roadrunners for their generous donation to the Joplin Trails Coalition. The Joplin Roadrunners are a group dedicated to running and fitness and meet monthly. In the picture below, Scott Springer of the Roadrunners is presenting JTC President Perry Johnson with a check for $1,000.00!
JTC On MySpace
The Joplin Trails Coalition now has a presence on MySpace. Check out our MySpace page
here.
Oronogo Street Car Depot Restoration
The Oronogo Street Car Depot is an important part of history. While it is fallen into serious disrepair, it may be the only street car depot left standing today. There are ongoing efforts to transform the depot from a forgotten building to a trolley museum, community center and a meeting point for those hiking the new Ruby Jack Trail. Want to find out more about this historic site and how you can help restore it? Download
Oronogo_Depot.doc, a Microsoft Word format document that contains all the details!
The Joplin Trails Coalition would like to thank the businesses
who have sponsored the Maple Leaf Bike Ride.
