History
The Chief Ladiga Trail began in 1990 when the Calhoun County Commission and the City of Piedmont purchased the first 22 miles of abandoned corridor using a grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). In 1993, the City of Piedmont received an Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) enhancement grant, through the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDoT), to fund construction of the first 8.9 mile section of the trail. The project continued to develop when in 1994, the cities of Piedmont and Jacksonville and the Cleburne County Commission were awarded ISTEA grants. In 1997, the cities of Jacksonville, Weaver, and Anniston were awarded grants from the National Recreational Trails Fund (NRTF) to construct either trail connections or access facilities. Also in 1997, the city of Weaver received an ISTEA grant to construct its 2.5 mile section of the trail. In 1998, both Weaver and Jacksonville opened their respective sections of the trail. Most recently, Jacksonville State University has applied for and been approved the TEA-21 funding for its segment of the project. JSU announced October, 2001, that construction would begin early November, 2001, on the trail across the campus. That portion should be completed by the spring of 2002. In Calhoun County, the trail will be designed to accommodate pedestrians, bicycles. strollers, inline skates, and wheel chairs. In Cleburne County, the trail will be designed to accommodate equestrians, mountain bikes, and hikers. If this section is paved in the future it may be closed to equestrians. Cleburne County has received another $200,000 TEA-21 Enhancement Grant to pave and developed another 4.5 miles of the trail. The county must match the funds and the commission needs help. Users and supports can make donations to a fund for that project by contacting: Cleburn County CLT Fund, c/o Colonial Bank, PO Box 8 Heflin, AL 36264.